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OUR 

HEAVENLY  FATHER 


A  COURSE  OF  LECTURES 


Trie,  •  Jj0pd 


KRANK    L.    NASH. 

SAN   FRANCISCO,    CAL. 

1885, 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1885,  by 

FRANK  L.  NASH, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


\ 
(T 


C.  W.  GORDON,  Printer, 
320  Sansome  St.,  San  Francisco. 


I 


To  THE 
CONGREGATION  OF  THE 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

OF  WATSON VILLE, 
For  whom  they  were  first  prepared, 

These  Lectures  are  now  respectfully 
And  affectionately  dedicated. 


az-t  ivt 
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tultt  &e  bone  i 


vis     i/>     at    ou-^ 


Icab  u^  i4ot  ivito 


erox    tfvivie    id 

tfve    potue^,    anb    t 

i-vnen. 


CONTENTS. 


I.  OUR  FATHER. 

II.  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME. 

III.  OUR  FATHER'S   KINGDOM. 

IV.  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL. 
V.  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD. 

VI.  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS. 

VII.  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE. 

VIII.  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE. 


I. 


OUR    PATH  ER 


"After  this  manner   therefore  pray  ye,    Our    Father 
which   art   in   Heaven."— MATT,  vi:  9. 


"OUR  FATHER." 


''Two  words,  indeed,  of  praying  we  remember, 

And  at  midnight's  hour  of  harm, 
'  Our  Father  !'  looking  upward  in  the  chamber, 

We  say  softly  for  a  charm. 
We  know  no  other  words,  except  '  Our  Father  !' 

And  we  think  that,  in  some  pause  of  angel's  song, 
God  may  pluck  them  with  the  silence  sweet  to  gather, 

And  hold  both  within  His  right  hand  which  is  strong. 
'  Our  Father  !'     If  He  heard  us  He  would  surely, 

(For  they  call  Him  good  and  mild,) 
Answer,  smiling  down  the  steep  world  very  purely, 

'  Come  and  rest  with  me,  my  child.'  " 

—Mrs.  Browning's  "Cry  of  the  Children." 


FATHERHOOD  !  Brotherhood  !  The  church  on  earth, 
and  the  church  in  heaven  ! 

These  are  the  themes  to  which  our  attention  is  directed 
by  the  opening  words  of  this  wonderful  prayer. 

The  whole  prayer  bears  the  impress  of  divinity. 

There  is  a  beauty,  simplicity,  and  comprehensiveness 
in  it  which  is  more  than  human. 

As  the  works  of  men  bear  the  impress  of  their  author, 
and  indicate  his  worth,  so  the  works  of  God  bear 
unmistakable  marks  of  divine  and  celestial  glory  % 


14  "  OTIK  FATHKK." 

He  who  understands  and  appreciates  the  works  of  a 
Milton,  or  a  Homer,  will  never  confound  them  with  the 
productions  of  an  inferior  author.  His  taste  is  cultivated, 
and  he  sees  beauties  which  to  others  are  involved  in 
impenetrable  obscurity.  The  same  is  true  of  the  revela- 
tions of  our  Lord.  No  mind  which  is  illumined  by  the 
Spirit  can  ever  mistake  these  truths  or  confound  them 
with  the  productions  of  any  other  author.  Their  ineffable 
dignity,  purity,  and  divine  glory  are  as  plain  and 
manifest  as  was  the  glory  of  our  Lord  himself,  when  He 
stood  upon  the  Mount  transfigured. 

The  truths  conveyed  in  the  mere  invocation  of  this 
model  prayer,  this  single  expression,  "  Our  Father  who 
art  in  Heaven,"  are  enough  to  demonstrate  the  divinity 
of  our  Lord,  and  the  righteousness  of  His  claims.  No 
man  can  understand,  or  use  this  invocation  aright,  but 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  breathes  the  Spirit  of  adoption. 
How  can  a  stranger  or  an  alien  understand  or  possess 
this  spirit  ?  It  breathes  the  Spirit  of  freedom  and  filial 
confidence.  How  can  a  captive  of  Satan  and  a  slave  of 
sin  approach  God  thus? 

Natural  men  do  not  worship  God,  or  acknowledge 
His  authority,  much  less  do  they  understand  or  experi- 
ence the  higher  joys  which  come  from  divine  relationship 
and  affiliation.  Our  God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead— 
much  less  is  He  the  father  of  them.  "Come  out  from 
among  them  and  be  ye  separate/'  is  the  language  of  His 


"OuR  FATHER."  15 

word,  and  then  "  I  will  be  a  father  to  you,  and  ye  shall 
be^  my  sons  and  daughters/'  May  the  blessed  Spirit 
open  our  eyes,  and  assist  our  faculties,  as  we  attempt  to 
look  into  some  of  the  wonders,  glories,  mysteries  and 
revelations  of  these  wondrous  words:  "  Our  Father  who 
art  in  Heaven.'3  We  have  been  using  them  all  our  lives, 
but  we  have  never  yet  scaled  their  heights,  or  sounded 
their  depths. 

The  three  natural  divisions  of  our  subject  are: 
I.     The  Filial ; 
II.     The  Fraternal ;  and 

III.     The  Celestial. 


I. 


Let  us  lirst  use  this  invocation  with  the  emphasis 
on  this  word  FATHER.  Our  Father.  It  is  not  our 
Creator,  or  Preserver,  or  our  Governor,  but  Our  Father. 
Next  to  the  sweet  word  mother,  what  word  is  there  in 
the  English  language  more  touchingly  tender,  and  more 
suggestive  of  human  love,  sympathy,  and  divine  pro- 
tection. 

The  Mohammedans  have  ninety-nine  names  of  God, 
but  among  them  all  they  have  not  the  name  of  Father. 
There  is  a  sense  in  which  God  is  the  Father  of  every- 
thing which  He  creates,  as  the  author  or  originator  of 
any  work  is  said  to  be  the  father  of  it. 


16  "OuR  FATHER." 

He  is  the  Father  of  the  sun,  the  rnoon,  and  all  the 
starry  hosts  above.  He  is  the  Father  of  the  meanest 
insect,  as  well  as  of  the  noblest  seraph.  He  is  the 
Father  of  all  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,  yea,  even  of 
the  clods  of  the  valley,  as  well  as  of  the  most  beautiful 
objects  around  us  and  above. 

In  a  higher  sense,  He  is  the  Father  of  spirits,  for  all 
spiritual  beings  were  originally  made  to  resemble  Him 
in  their  intellectual  powers,  in  their  moral  endowments, 
in  their  spirituality,  immortality,  holiness  and  happiness. 

But  there  is  another  and  a  better  sense  in  which 
believers  are  the  children  of  God,  and  by  which  they  are 
enabled  to  claim  God  as  their  Father. 

Natural  relationship  does  not  constitute  the  whole  of 
fatherhood  or  sonship.  Our  Lord  said  of  certain  Jews 
"Ye  are  of  your  father,  the  devil."  They  were  living 
without  God,  in  voluntary  and  habitual  ignorance  of 
His  character,  practically  denying  His  existence,  and  in 
every  way  refusing  to  recognize  Him.  This  is  the  state 
of  man.  He  is  detached  from  God  by  sin.  The  image  of 
God  which  was  the  original  glory  of  His  character,  has 
been  defaced.  He  is  no  longer  a  loving,  trusting  child, 
but  an  alien,  a  stranger,  a  wanderer,  utterly  destitute  of 
all  the  characteristics  of  spiritual  childhood.  An  officer 
in  the  army,  in  writing  to  his  wife,  said:  "I  have  seen 
God  in  His  mysterious  majesty  in  nature;  I  have  seen  him 
presiding  in  His  gracious  providence  on  the  battlefield ; 


"OuR  FATHER."  17 

but,  alas!  I  have  not  seen  Him  as  my  Father.  I  have 
not  felt  toward  Him  as  a  child.  Oh,  for  the  simplicity 
of  faith,  the  character  of  a  child!  God  give  it  to  me." 

God  is  our  Father  then,  not  by  creation,  but  by 
adoption.  The  sonship,  to  which  our  Lord  refers  when 
He  says  and  teaches  us  to  say,  "  Our  Father,"  is  the 
peculiar  privilege  of  redeemed  sinners,  a  privilege  such 
as  no  other  creature  of  God  has  ever  yet  enjoyed.  It 
involves  regeneration,  the  work  of  the  Spirit  renewing 
and  sanctifying,  delight  in  the  character  thus  formed, 
and  everlasting  love,  including  protection  from  all  out- 
ward evils,  and  provision  for  all  wants  within . 

On  the  human  side  it  involves  penitence,  submission, 
faith,  love,  and  all  the  gifts  and  graces  which  come  in 
the  train  of  faith. 

The  connecting  link  by  which  this  divine  relationship 
is  formed,  is  faith.  ff  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus."  Not  by  nature,  but  by  grace. 
Not  by  creation,  or  culture,  but  by  faith.  Not  by  faith  in 
self,  or  in  any  earthly  person  or  object,  but  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  This  is  God's  glorious  way  of  entrance  to 
all  the  privileges  of  sonship.  No  matter  who  you  are, 
where  you  are,  or  how  you  may  have  vexed  Him  or 
grieved  Him,  by  your  sin;  the  door  stands  open.  Be- 
lieve, and  thou  shalt  have  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby 
we  cry,  Abba,  Father  ! 

Only  believe,  and  thou  shalt  hear  the  Father's  voice 


18  "Qua  FATHEU." 

saying,  "  Bring  forth  the  best  robe  and  put  it  on  him." 
Only  believe,  and  thou  shalt  be  a/i  heir  of  God,  and 
joint  heir  of  Christ.  Only  believe,  and  if  there  be 
thrones,  and  dominions,  harps,  and  crowns,  and  glories 
ineffable,  which  "eye  hath  not  seen,  ear  hath  not  heard, 
neither  hath  entered  the  heart  of  man/'  these  also  shall 
be  thine,  for  the  sonship  of  the  believer  is  an  everlasting 
sonship.  Only  believe,  and  thou  shalt  enter  into  a  cove- 
nant which  is  everlasting,  receive  life  which  is  everlast- 
ing, and  an  inheritance  which  shall  not  be  taken  away. 
O!  how  glorious  to  be  conscious  of  such  a  life,  and 
such  possessions,  and  to  say  with  the  poet, 

"This  world  is  oars,  and  worlds  to  come, 
Earth  is  our  Lodge  and  Heaven  our  home." 

"  As  many  as  received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power 
to  become  the  sons  of  God." 

As  the  sun  in  the  heavens  is  the  main  source  of  all 
the  silent,  mighty,  invisible  forces  of  nature,  so  the  Sun 
of  righteousness  is  the  source  of  all  spiritual  life  and 
power.  He  alone  can  speak  dead  souls  to  life;  He  alone 
can  give  men  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God.  The 
prime  moving  power  in  all  our  mills  and  manufactories 
is  the  sun.  His  heat  raises  the  water  of  the  sea  in 
vapors.  These  floating  in  the  air  are  condensed  in 
clouds,  and  thence  descending  are  gathered  by  a  thou- 
sand little  rills,  and  poured  into  a  single  stream,  which, 
moving  on  with  constantly  increasing  force,  becomes  a 


"  OUR  FATHER."  IV 

mighty  power  for  good.  To  the  sun  also  we  owe  the 
wonders  achieved  by  steam  on  the  railway  and  on 
the  sea,  and  all  the  other  manifestations  of  this  mighty 
power.  The  moving  force  is  the  steam,  but  the  steam 
is  due  to  the  fire,  the  fire  is  maintained  by  the  fuel,  and  the 
fuel,  whether  wood  or  coal,  derives  all  its  heat  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun. 

Just  as  truly  is  the  Sun  of  righteousness  the  source 
of  all  spiritual  life,  and  all  right  views  and  feelings 
toward  God,  as  is  the  material  sun  in  the  heavens  the 
source  of  all  animal  life  and  mechanical  power.  No 
man  can  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  Him,  and  coming  to 
Him  involves  all  the  feelings,  affections  and  graces  of  a 
child  of  God.  Aliens  and  slaves  stand  at  a  distance,  but 
children  and  heirs  are  freely  admitted  to  all  the  secret 
treasures  of  the  Father's  love  and  care. 

Nothing  is  hidden  from -them.  They  go  in  and  out 
at  pleasure,  and  in  their  Father's  presence  are  at  home. 

There  is  a  freedom,  a  joy,  a  conscious  satisfaction  in 
their  Father's  presence  which  no  where  else  is  felt  or 
found.  They  look  to  him  for  instruction,  support  and 
protection. 

They  are  ignorant,  and  need  instruction  ;  weak,  and 
they  need  support  ;  passionate  and  unruly,  a.nd  they 
need  His  guidance  and  control.  But  blessed  be  His 
holy  name,  none  of  these  weaknesses  or  infirmities  of  the 
fiesh  shall  ever  be  able  to  separate  us  from  Him,  or  destroy 


20  "  OUR  FATHER." 

our  sonship.  A  little  girl  whose  father  was  shipwrecked, 
knelt  at  her  mother's  knee,  and,  as  her  custom  was,  began 
to  say,  "God  bless  my  dear  father."  Her  mother  inter- 
rupted, telling  her  that  she  had  no  father,  for  he  was 
drowned,  and  she  would  never  see  his  face  again  on  earth; 
and  then  the  child  began  to  say,  "  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven."  Three  times  she  repeated  these  words,  and 
then  looking  up  with  tearful  eyes,  exclaimed:  <CO! 
mother,  we  have  a  Father  ;  God  is  our  Father.  Jesus 
said  so.  He  told  us  to  pray  f  Our  Father  who  art  in 
Heaven.'  ' 

Glorious  truth !  First  and  most  blessed  of  the  revela- 
tions of  our  Lord!  Go  to  the  poor,  distressed,  houseless, 
homeless  wanderers,  and  tell  them  you  have  a  Father. 
You  are  no  longer  shut  out  from  His  presence.  You 
are  no  longer  obliged  to  wander  as  orphans  in  a 
cold  and  comfortless  world.  God,  the  ever-living, 
ever-present  God,  is  the  father  of  men,  the  father  of 
all  who  come  to  Him  by  Christ,  and  claim  His  love  and 
protection.  The  gift  of  His  spirit  is  the  gift  of  a  father 
to  His  children,  and  to  all  His  children  who  will  receive 
it.  All  the  inexhaustible  treasures  of  His  Kingdom 
may  be  yours  by  faith.  You  may  be  accepted  in  the 
beloved,  adopted  into  His  family,  and  made  heirs  of 
the  "  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light." 

Have  you  learned  this  truth?  Have  you  the  spirit  of 
adoption  ?  Can  you  say,  Abba,  Father  ?  Is  God  your 


"  OUR  FATHER/'  21 

Father,  ancT  is  the  righteousness  of  God  your  refuge, 
your  habitation,  your  strong  tower  of  defense  ?  If  so, 
you  are  ready  for  the  second  division  of  our  subject. 

The  filial  spirit  includes  the  fraternal.  He  who  recog- 
nizes the  divine  Fatherhood  cannot  be  a  stranger  to  the 
feeling  of  brotherly  love.  He  who  can  say  my  Father, 
my  Lord,  and  my  God,  can  also  say  Our  Father. 

' '  When  we  no  longer  lie, 
„  Like  slaves  beneath  the  throne, 

Our  Faith  will  Abba,  Father,  cry, 
And  then  the  kindred  own." 


II. 


Our  Father  !  Put  the  emphasis  now  on  this  word 
our.  It  is  not  my  Father,  or  your  Father,  but  our 
Father. 

This  word  our  is  as  comprehensive  and  all  embracing  as 
the  infinite  love  of  God  himself.  It  reaches  beyond  the 
narrow  limits  of  our  own  personal  wants,  and  our  own 
individual  salvation;  beyond  the  domain  of  the  family, 
church,  or  sect  to  which  we  may  belong,  and  embraces 
the  whole  human  race.  It  teaches  us  to  ' f  add  to  brotherly 
kindness,  charity,"  and  reveals  beyond  the  inner  circle 
of  Christian  brotherhood  an  outer  circle  of  divine  benev- 
olence, a  love  which  leaps  beyond  all  bounds  and 
limitations. 

First,  it  embraces  all  who  are  in  Christ. 


22  "  OUR  FATHER." 

•     "One  family,  we  dwell  in  him, 
One  church  ahove,  beneath." 

Then  it  reaches  out  for  those  who  are  scattered  abroad 
and  seeks  to  gather  them  in.  Sin  separates;  love  unites. 
Sin  says,  "  every  man  for  himself;"  love  says,  f<  every 
man  for  Christ."  "He  died  for  us,  that  whether  we  wak  ^ 
or  sleep,  we  should  live  together  with  Him." 

Love,  life,  and  liberty  are  the  richest  gifts  of  the 
spirit. 

Coming  from  the  same  root  these  words  express  ideas 
in  many  respects  similar.  As  the  life  of  a  tree 
unites  all  its  parts,  causing  each  to  work  for  every  other, 
and  all  to  work  together  for  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  whole,  so  love  pervades  and  unites  the  whole 
family  of  God.  And  as  liberty  knocks  off  all  the 
shackles  of  restraint,  and  sets  the  soul  free,  so  love  gives 
freedom  from  ihe  restraints  of  law  and  duty,  and 
delivers  the  soul  from  the  pinching,  binding,  cramping 
and  perverting  power  of  selfish  passions. 

I  have  read  somewhere  a  story  of  a  man  who,  possess- 
ing large  stores  of  food,  kept  it  concealed  amid  the 
horrors  of  a  famine.  Hundreds  of  unhappy  creatures 
were  perishing  around  him.  He  heard  the  wail  of 
hungry,  starving  children,  crying  for  bread  which  their 
mothers  could  not  give  them.  He  heard  the  clamor  of 
the  maddened  multitude.  He  saw  women  with  infants 
on  their  withered  bosoms  fall  fainting  in  the  streets. 


"  OUR  FATHER."  23 

He  saw  gaunt  and  famished  men  fiercely  fighting  over 
a  bone  like  hungry  dogs.  Multitudes  were  perishing 
before  his  eyes,  while  he,  the  monster,  the  fiend  incar- 
nate, with  hellish  delight  was  coolly  calculating  how 
much  money  he  would  make  by  his  horrible  crime 
against  God  and  humanity. 

Such  is  the  crime,  and  such  in  the  sight  of  God  is  the 
character  of  those  who  with  abundant  means  for  useful- 
ness look  upon  the  famine  of  truth,  and  love,  and 
godliness  which  prevails,  and  yet  withhold  the  bread  of 
life.  We  are  not  our  own,  we  are  bought  with  a  price. 
We  are  not  sent  into  this  world  to  get  wealth,  and  enjoy 
ourselves. 

Heaven  smiles  above  us;  hell  yawns  beneath. 

Around  us  is  a  perishing  world,  and  before  us  is  the 

judgment. 

"O!  brothers  ! 

View  the  day  of  retribution  ! 
Think  how  you  will  hear 
From  your  Redeemer's  lips 
Those  awful  words:  thy  brother, 
Perishing  in  his  own  blood, 
Thou  sawest.     Thy  brother  hungered, 
Was  athirst,  was  naked, 
And  thou  sawest  it :  he  was  sick, 
Thou  didst  withhold  the  healing; 
Was  in  prison  to  vice  and  ignorance, 
Nor  didst  thou  send  to  set  him  free. 
O!  ere  that  hour  of  doom, 
Whence  there  is  no  reprieve, 
Ikethrerij  awake  from  this  dark  dream.  " 


24  "  Oun  FATHER." 

III. 

Notice  now  the  place  to  which  our  thoughts  are 
directed,  as  we  pray,  "Our  Father  WHICH  ART  IN  HEAVEN." 
Some  conceive  of  Heaven  as  a  place  far  above  us, 
in  the  upper  air,  among  the  clouds.  Others  think  of 
Heaven  as  a  state,  expecting  to  find  the  realization  of 
all  their  dreams  of  bliss  in  the  perfect  equilibrium  and 
harmonization  of  all  their  moral  and  spiritual  powers. 
Others  still  look  on  this  ivorld  redeemed  and  purified  as 
the  final  home  of  the  people  of  God.  The  true  idea 
includes  all  these  conceptions.  Heaven  is  a  place, 
Heaven  is  a  state,  and  Heaven  will  yet  possess  this 
world,  and  make  it  but  a  province  of  the  world  of  light 
above.  Heaven  is  the  dwelling-place  of  God, — of  Jesus, 
— of  the  angels,  and  of  our  departed  friends.  Whether 
at  the  center  of  the  universe  or  in  some  other  place,  it 
matters  not.  God  speaks  of  Heaven  as  above  us,  in  order 
to  elevate  our  thoughts. 

Elijah  went  up  to  Heaven  in  a  whirlwind.  Jesus 
ascended  into  heaven. 

All  things,  sacred,  noble,  great  and  sublime,  are 
associated  in  our  minds  with  great  height.  Hence  when 
we  come  to  God  in  prayer,  our  thoughts  tend  upward, 
and  we  are  led  to  "  seek  those  things  which  are  above," 
and  set  our  affections  "  on  things  above."  God  wants 
to  bring  Heaven  near  us.  He  uses  the  plural  number 


"OuR  FATHER."  25 

here  in  order  to  suggest  the  degrees,  grades,  or  spheres 
of  holiness  and  happiness  reaching  from  the  highest 
Heavens  down  to  this  world  of  ours.  He  wants  to  remove 
all  obstructions  from  our  minds  and  hearts,  nnd  so  to 
spiritualize  our  entire  nature  that  we  may  live  as  in  the 
very  presence  of  God's  own  blessed  company,  spiritual 
and  eternal  things  no  longer  dim,  distant,  and  shadowy, 
but  having  the  effect  of  realities  upon  us.  By  every 
means  within  His  power  Ho  is  striving  to  counteract  the 
downward  tendency  of  our  souls. 

He  has  made  us  for  Heaven,  and  Heave  a  for  us,  and 
though  we  have  despised  our  birthright,  He  has  not 
utterly  forsaken  us,  or  cast  us  off.  His  purposes,  His 
promises,  His  law,  His  gospel,  His  providence,  His 
church  on  earth,  and  His  blessed  angels  above,  the  min- 
istering spirits  sent  forth  to  cheer  and  help  us,  are  all 
pledged  for  our  salvation,  and  all  united  in  the  blessed 
work  of  deHverance.  Nothing  but  a  depraved  will,  a 
dark,  desperate,  and  unyielding  human  will,  can  ever 
hinder  Him  from  the  accomplishment  of  His  purpose. 

Use  this  prayer  aright,  with  honesty  and  sincerity. 
Claim  God  as  your  Father,  all  the  children  of  God  as 
brethren,  bound  by  common  ties  to  a  common  Lord,  and 
Heaven, — the  Heaven  of  heavens,  where  God  unveils 
His  brightest  glories  as  your  everlasting  home.  Learn 
to  say  "  Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven,"  not  as  a 
cold,  dead  formula  of  lifeless  words,  but  as  the  nat- 


26  "OuR  FATHER/' 

ural  expression  of  the  feelings  of  a  trusting,  loving 
child.  Raise  your  thoughts  and  wishes  higher.  Live 
near  your  God,  your  Savior,  and  your  beautiful  home 
on  high;  use  all  earthly  things  as  types  and  shadows  of 
things  divine,  and  use  all  heavenly  things,  the  Bible, 
the  Sabbath,  and  all  the  privileges  and  ordinances  of  the 
sanctuary  as  God  designed  that  you  should  use  them . 
Heavenly  in  their  nature  and  origin,  coming  from  a 
brighter  and  better  world,  they  point  us  thither.  Cherish 
their  holy  influences.  Work  while  the  day  lasts,  and 
may  the  Master  add  his  blessing. 

"O!  more  than  merciful;  whose  bounty  gave 
Thy  guiltless  self  to  glut  the  greedy  grave, 
Whose  heart  was  pierced  to  pay  Thy  people's  price, 
The  great  High  Priest  at  once  and  sacrifice. 
Blest  Jesus!  by  Thy  cross  and  crimson  stains, 
Let  not  Thy  precious  blood  be  spilt  in  vain." 


II. 


OUR  FATHER'S  NAME. 


"Hallowed   be   thy   name." — MATT,    vi :  9. 


OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 


"Father!    the  sweetest,  dearest  name 

That  men  or  angels  know! 
Fountain  of  life  that  had  no  fount 

From  which  itself  could  flow! 

"All  fathers  learn  their  craft  from  Thee; 
All  loves  are  shadows  cast 
From  the  beautiful  eternal  hills 
Of  Thine  unbeginning  past.'' 

From  Faber's  "  Eternal  Father." 

"  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  wae, 
and  is,  and  is  to  come." 

This  is  the  language  of  the  bright  beings  above — the 
pure  and  spotless  spirits  who  surround  the  throne  of 
God  in  Heaven. 

It  is  the  first  desire  of  every  child  of  God. 

Next  to  the  cry  of  the  new-born  soul — the  birth  cry, 
Abba,  Father,  comes  this  great  desire  for  the  uplifting, 
honoring,  magnifying,  and  sanctifying  of  the  name,  the 
everlasting  name,  of  our  everlasting  Father. 

Whenever  the  believer  turns  away  from  the  world,  and 
goes  into  the  presence  of  the  Infinite,  as  he  draws  near 
to  Heaven's  eternal  throne^  holds  conference  with  the 


30  "  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

King  eternal,  and  turns  toward  Him  his  earth-born  coun- 
tenance, the  dominant  feeling  is  that  expressed  in  this 
first  petition. 

As  the  child  draws  near  fco  the  Father,  the  Father 
draws  near  to  the  child. 

Celestial  light  is  poured  upon  him  and  around  him. 
The  mists  and  the  vapors  which  rise  from  his  lower  nature 
and  darken  his  prospects  are  removed.  All  discordant 
feelings  are  subdued  and  hushed.  Self  is  humbled,  and 
the  all-glorious  holiness  of  God  absorbs  his  mind  and 
fills  the  place.  He  is 

"  Lost  in  wonder,  love  and  praise." 
"  Plunged  in  the  Godhead's  deepest  sea, 
And  lost  in  His  immensity." 

The  overpowering  splendors  of  the  beauty  of  God  so 
charm  and  captivate  his  mind,  that  he  can  think  of 
nothing  else.  His  works,  His  words,  His  character  and 
attributes,  these  are  the  first  and  greatest  things,  and  to 
glorify  God,  to  magnify,  honor  and  reverence  His  name, 
must  be  henceforth  the  controlling  purpose  of  his  life. 

Near  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  scriptures,  we 
read  of  a  book  of  remembrance.  This  book,  it  is  said, 
was  written  before  the  Lord,  in  His  presence,  and  under 
His  eye,  and  the  persons  for  whom  it  was  written  are 
designated  as  those  who  "  feared  the  Lord,  and  thought 
upon  His  name . "  Our  Heavenly  Father  never  forgets  His 
people,  however  careless  they  may  be,  or  however  un- 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME."  31 

mindful  of  Him  or  His  mercies.  Still  there  seems  to  be  a 
special  remembrance  of  those  who  remember  Him — those 
who  in  the  midst  of  great  and  wide-spread  neglect  and 
indifference  are  wakeful  and  watchful,  and  who  take 
delight  in  thinking  on  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  to  this  delightful  exercise  that  we  are  now  invited, 
— thinking  on  the  name  which  is  above  every  name. 


I. 


There  is  something  in  a  name.  It  may  seem  to  be  a 
very  simple  name,  a  name  very  easily  spoken  or  written, 
but  when  it  becomes  a  synonym  for  virtue,  goodness, 
patience  or  meekness,  when  it  becomes  so  interlinked 
or  interblendecl  with  the  best  and  noblest  things? 
that  separation  is  impossible,  then  it  begins  to  have 
weight . 

The  wise  man  says,  "  a  good  name  is  better  than  oint- 
ment, and  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches." 

There  are  names  the  very  mention  of  which  awaken 
thoughts  and  feelings  most  pleasing  and  delightful. 
More  fragrant  are  they  than  all  the  aroma  of  the  flowers 
and  fruits  of  Eden,  and  more  precious  and  enduring  than 
gold  tried  in  the  fire.  Our  hearts  open  to  them ;  we 
love  to  see  them  ;  we  love  to  write  them  ;  we  love  to  hear 
them  spoken,  and  we  love  to  meditate  upon  them.  The 
name  suggests  the  person,  the  character,  and  all  the 


82  "  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

beauties  and  excellencies  of  mind  and  heart  which  that 
character  has  exhibited,  and  all  the  great  eternal  truths 
which  it  has  demonstrated  and  enforced.  Abraham 
suggests  faith ;  Moses,  meekness ;  Job,  patience  ;  Joshua, 
valor ;  Israel,  power ;  Peter,  zeal ;  Paul,  courage ;  and 
John,  love.  But  the  name  of  the  Lord  suggests  all 
these,  and  all  other  excellences,  human  and  divine. 

A  whole  constellation  of  moral  glories  and  spiritual 
beauties  starts  to  life,  and  comes  before  us  at  the  very 
mention  of  it.  There  are  names  which  are  mighty 
in  the  commercial  world,  such  as  Stewart,  Yander- 
bilt,  and  others.  There  are  names  which  are  mighty 
in  the  scientific  world,  such  as  Agassiz,  Herschel, 
Spencer.  Caesar,  Bonaparte,  Grant  and  others,  are 
names  which  are  mighty  in  the  military  world.  But 
the  name  of  the  Lord  is  mighty  in  all  worlds.  It  has 
subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  opened  seas, 
rolled  up  rivers,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  healed  the 
sick,  raised  the  dead,  cast  out  devils,  and  overcome  all 
things. 

Dr.  Kane,  when  asked  by  a  friend  as  to  what  in  all  his 
adventures  had  produced  the  deepest  and  most  lasting 
impression,  replied  :  "The  silence  of  an  Arctic  night." 
The  shrieking  and  howling  of  the  stormy  wind, the  furi- 
ous dashing  and  commingling  of  the  angry  waves,  the 
grinding  and  crashing  of  huge  masses  of  ice,  and  all  the 
other  fearful  sights  and  frightful  sounds  of  that  frozen 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME."  33 

region,  were  as  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  silent  sol- 
emnity, grandeur,  and  mystery  of  the  night.  Just  such 
is  the  mighty,  overpowering  influence  of  the  simple, 
silent,  awful  name  of  God. 

O!  vvhat  ineffable  glories,  what  unfathomable  mysteries, 
lie  hidden  in  His  name.  It  is  the  world's  great  secret. 
Patriarchs,  and  prophets,  fathers,  and  martyrs,  have  tried 
to  sound  its  depths,  and  have  failed.  Angels  of  light  have 
tried  in  vain  to  unravel  its  mysteries  of  love  and  wisdom  . 

The  great  work  of  the  church,  on  earth  and  in  Heaven, 
is  to  gather  up  the  scattered  fragments  of  truth,  and  try 
to  spell  this  name,  this  ineffable  and  incomprehensible 
name.  For  this  the  Son  of  God  came  into  this  world, 
and  for  this  He  sends  His  people.  Before  He  came  He 
said,  "I  will  declare  thy  name  unto  my  brethren;''  and 
before  He  left  the  world,  He  said,  (( I  have  declared  thy 
name,  and  -will  declare  it."  By  His  birth,  His  life,  His 
words,  His  works,  His  death,  His  resurrection  and  ascen- 
sion, He  declared  the  name  of  His  Father,  and  our 
Father.  He  is  himself  the  embodiment  and  personifica- 
tion of  it;  and  though  the  name  itself  is  beyond  our  com- 
prehension, and  ever  will  be,  we  may  know  enough  of 
it  for  our  salvation  by  coming  unto  Him,  who  is  the 
"brightness  of  His  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image 
of  His  person."  He  takes  the  name  by  which  Jehovah 
revealed  Himself  to  Moses,  and  He  applies  it  to  himself. 

"  I  am  that  I  am,"  was  the  name  God  gave  to  Moses. 


34  "  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

"  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  I  Am 
hath  sent  me  unto  you." 

These  words  doubtless  seemed  strange  to  Moses,  and 
through  all  the  ages  men  have  been  searching  for  their 
hidden  meaning.  But  does  not  Jesus  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration,  with  His  face  shining  as  the  sun,  and 
His  raiment  white  as  the  light,  remind  us  of  the  burn- 
ing bush?  And  when  we  hear  Him  saying  "I  am  the 
way;"  "  I  am  the  light  of  the  world;"  "  I  am  the  good 
shepherd;"  are  we  not  reminded  of  the  great  I  Am  of 
Moses  ?  Is  not  this  Jesus  who  says  to  His  disciples, 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach,"  and  "  I  am  with 
you  always,"  the  same  who  said  to  Moses,  "  Certainly 
I  will  be  with  thee  ?"  And  shall  we  not  turn  aside  as 
Moses  did,  to  see  this  great  sight,  this  glorious  sight, 
which  fills  all  Heaven  with  wonder — God  dwelling  with 
men,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh?  Here,  then,  in  Jesus,  the 
great  secret  of  the  name  of  God  is  unfolded  and 
revealed . 

Great  as  He  is,  glorious  as  He  is — so  great,  grand, 
glorious  and  exalted,  that  the  mightiest  intellect  of  men 
and  angels  can  never  comprehend  Him,  He  is  brought 
through  Christ,  within  the  reach  of  the  humblest,  weak- 
est child. 

Our  catechism  says,  "God  is  a  Spirit,  infinite,  eternal, 
and  unchangeable,  in  his  being,  power,  justice,  holiness, 
goodness  and  truth."  Jesus  says,  "  God  is  our  Heavenly 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME."  35 

Father;"  and  again,  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen 
the  Father."  When  the  coming  of  the  Great  God  of 
the  universe  was  announced  to  Joseph,  the  angel  said: 
"  Thou  shalt  call  His  name  Jesus,  for  He  shall  save 
his  people  from  their  sins."  Later  still,  when  He  ap- 
peared to  Paul  in  the  great  light,  the  glorious  Shekinah, 
symbol  of  the  divine  presence,  He  said,  "  I  am  Jesus." 
What  name  so  expressive,  so  attractive,  so  beautiful  and 
full  of  meaning!  What  name  to  a  sinner,  a  convicted 
sinner,  or  a  sinner  saved,  so  full  of  comfort,  hope,  joy, 
blessing,  and  promise  of  future  glory  and  deliverance! 

It  speaks  of  Bethlehem,  Nazareth,  Gethsemane,  and 
Calvary,  and  all  the  scenes  of  His  sad  story. 

It  brings  Him  near.  We  see  Him,  hear  Him,  feel  the 
pressure  of  His  hand,  yea,  the  very  throbbing  of  His 
heart,  as  we  lean  upon  His  breast  with  John,  the  beloved. 
Other  names  and  titles  may  seem  appropriate  at  certain 
times,  and  places,  bat  Jesus  covers  all,  embraces  all,  and 
signifies  more  than  we  shall  ever  be  able  to  grasp  of  the 
infinite  riches  of  God's  power,  and  love,  and  wisdom. 

II. 

The  name  of  our  God  is  profaned  by  perjury,  or  false 
swearing.  God  has  spoken,  and  with  all  the  authority 
of  Heaven  has  declared,  "  Thou  shalt  not"  commit  this 
sin.  He  who,  with  solemn  appeal  to  the  God  of  Heaven, 


36  "  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

and  with  his  hand  upon  the  Bible,  declares  that  he  will 
speak  ''the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth,"  and  then  bears  witness  to  that  which  he  knows  to 
be  false,  is  profaning  the  name  of  God  in  the  most  odious, 
dishonorable  and  contemptible  manner.  He  is  commit- 
ting a  sin  which  is  universally  detested,  and  striking  a 
blow  at  the  root  of  all  religion,  and  all  good  govern- 
ment. 

Defamation,  speaking  against  this  name,  is  another 
way  in  which  it  may  be  profaned.  This  was  the 
sin  of  the  Jews,  when  Jesus  warned  them  that  by  going 
a  step  further  they  might  make  their  condemnation  sure. 
Detraction,  irreverent  handling,  putting  any  other  name 
in  its  place,  profanes  this  name,  as  when  one  of  the 
Pope's  Cardinals  prepared  a  Litany  by  taking  portions 
of  the  Psalms,  and  substituting  the  name  of  the  virgin 
Mary  in  the  place  of  the  name  of  Jehovah.  God  save 
us  from  the  curse  of  those  who  thus  6<  add  unto "  or 
"take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this 
prophecy." 

But  the  most  common  of  all  the  ways  in  which  His 
name  is  profaned,  is  that  called  blasphemy,  or  profane 
swearing.  The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  holy  name.  To 
take  it  on  our  lips  irreverently  is  to  insult  the  majesty  of 
Heaven.  Of  all  the  sins  which  men  commit,  this  is  the 
most  unnatural  and  unreasonable.  Depraved  as  human 
nature  is,  no  child  or  youth  can  blaspheme  the  name  of 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME."  37 

God,  until  by  evil  associations  he  has  been  drawn  down 
below  his  natural  level.  No  child  uses  profane  language 
till  he  has  learned  it  from  others.  The  first  time  he 
hears  such  language  he  is  shocked,  and  the  first  oath 
which  falls  from  his  own  lips  makes  him  tremble.  It  is 
a  low  and  groveling  vice.  It  gratifies  no  passion;  it  has 
no  excuse.  It  is  dreadfully  hardening,  stupefying,  and 
defiling.  It  defiles  consciences,  families,  neighborhoods, 
towns,  cities  and  nations. 

"  Because  of  swearing,  the  land  rnourneth,"  says 
Jeremiah.  Time  was  when  a  man  might  go  through  our 
land,  and  scarcely  hear  an  oath;  but  now,  from  lowest 
to  highest,  and  from  highest  to  lowest,  the  whole  land 
seems  to  be  defiled  by  this  groveling  vice.  In  Washing- 
ton's order  book,  April  3d,  1776,  we  find  these  words: 

"The  general  is  sorry  to  be  informed  that  the  foolish 
and  wicked  practice  of  profane  swearing,  a  vice  hitherto 
little  known  in  our  American  army,  is  growing  into 
fashion.  He  hopes  the  officers  will,  by  example  as  well 
as  influence,  endeavor  to  check  it;  and  that  both  they 
and  the  men  will  reflect  that  we  can  have  but  little  hope 
of  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  our  arms  if  we  insult  Him 
by  our  impiety  and  folly.  Added  to  this,  it  is  a  vice  so 
mean  and  low,  without  any  temptation,  that  a  man  of 
sense  and  character  despises  it." 

When  Alcibiades,  a  Grecian  general,  had  profaned  the 
names  of  the  gods  of  Athens,  the  people  rose  en  masse 


38  "  OUR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

and  forbade  him  to  march  against  their  enemies  until  he 
had  confessed  his  sin,  and  made  atonement.  They  felt 
that  it  was  madness  and  folly  to  expect  the  blessing  of 
the  gods  upon  their  enterprise  while  treating  them  with 
such  contempt. 

The  common  sense  of  all  nations  cries  out  against  this 
sin,  which  is  grieving  the  spirit,  hardening  the  hearts, 
and  sealing  the  doom  of  thousands,  who  day  by  day  dwell 
under  the  heavy  curse  of  Him  who  says:  "  The  swearer 
shall  be  cut  off/'  and  that  He  "will  not  hold  him 
guiltless." 

III. 

How  then  may  the  name  of  God  be  hallowed  ?  By 
holy  lips,  holy  hearts,  and  holy  lives. 

As  no  man  can  say  "Abba,  Father,"  without  the 
spirit  of  adoption,  so  no  man  can  say,  "Hallowed  be  Thy 
name,"  without  the  spirit  of  holiness. 

He  who  has  the  filial  spirit,  the  spirit  which  binds  us 
to  God,  or  grows  out  of  our  relationship  to  Him,  is  par- 
doned, accepted,  and  saved.  United  to  God,  he  is  one 
with  God,  He  lives  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  privi- 
leges of  sonship. 

The  fraternal  is  but  a  modification  of  the  filial,  for  as 
sin  and  rebellion  produce  separation  and  division,  so 
the  opposite,  holy  love,  unites  us  first  to  God,  and  then 


"OuR  FATHER'S  NAME."  39 

to  all  His  people.  This  love  reaches  its  highest  mani  - 
fe station  when  it  becomes  celestial — the  perfect  love  of 
the  angels,  and  the  redeemed  in  Heaven. 

Flowing  through  this  world  this  holy  love  is  diluted; 
— and  as  nothing  imperfect,  and  nothing  which  defiles 
can  enter  Heaven,  our  constant  prayer  is  for  that  "holi- 
ness without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord."  "A  little 
deeper,"  said  a  soldier,  as  a  surgeon  was  probing  his 
wound,  "  a  little  deeper  and  you  will  find  Napoleon." 
So,  far  down  in  the  depths  of  the  heart  of  every  child  of 
God,  is  written  this  name,  this  everlasting  name.  Our 
hearts  are  chosen  vessels  to  bear  His  name.  O  !  for  that 
purity  which  shall  make  them  fit  receptacles  for  such  a 
treasure. 

The  right  use  of  His  name  involves  a  proper  concep- 
tion of  its  mighty  power. 

"  They  that  know  Thy  name,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "will 
put  their  trust  in  Thee."  And  again,  "  the  name  of  the 
Lord  is  a  strong  tower;  the  righteous  runneth  into  it 
and  is  safe." 

Again,  "Nevertheless  He  saved  them  for  His  own 
name's  sake". 

There  is  power  then  in  this  name  to  protect,  deliver,  and 
save.  It  can  open  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  it  can  shut 
the  gates  of  hell.  It  has  power  to  make  men  rich,  and 
it  has  power  to  give  men  life.  It  is  a  mighty,  yea,  an 
almighty  name.  It  is  full  of  authority,  power  and  love. 


40  "OuR  FATHER'S  NAME." 

Spiritualists  tell  us  that  the  invisible  beings  who 
"walk  the  earth  unseen,"  have  power  to  make  a  rich 
man  poor  in  one  day,  and  a  poor  man  rich  in  one 
day."  Such  power  in  the  hands  of  any  creature  would 
be  a  most  dangerous  possession.  One  being,  and  one 
alone,  can  claim  this  power. 

He  who  sitteth  on  the  Throne,  the  Throne  of  nature, 
providence,  grace  and  glory,  has  all  power,  and  He  alone 
can  raise  men  up  or  cast  them  down  at  pleasure.  By  a 
single  touch  of  His  linger  He  can  cast  the  mighty  from 
their  seats,  or  raise  up  those  of  low  degree. 

There  are  men  who  by  a  single  scratch  of  their  pens, 
affixing  their  signatures  to  a  piece  of  paper,  may  control 
the  commerce  of  a  nation.  The  name  of  Bismark  saved 
the  life  of  a  young  man  condemned  to  death.  The  name 
of  Nicholas  saved  another  from  disgrace  and  ruin.  But 
take  the  names  of  the  mightiest  men,  and  use  them  at  the 
bar  of  God,  and  you  find  them  powerless.  Demand  an 
entrance  to  the  kingdom  in  the  name  of  Napoleon, 
Bismark,  Csesar  or  Alexander,  and  what  would  be  the 
result?  Take  even  the  names  of  the  best  and  the  holiest, 
such  as  Paul,  Peter,  or  the  beloved  disciple,  even  these, 
great  as  they  are,  and  good  as  they  are,  have  no  power 
to  open  or  shut  the  everlasting  gates. 

But  use  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  name  of  Jehovah, 
Jesus,  and  the  gates  are  opened,  and  free  access  is  given 


"  OUR  FATHER'S   XAMK."  41 

to  all  the  honors,  glories,  riches  and  splendors  of  the 
celestial  world.  Thank  God,  then,  for  the  use  of  this 
name.  Oar  names  are  worthless — His  name  is  above 
every  name,  and  at  the  mention  of  it  every  knee  shall 
bow. 

It  matters  very  little  what  becomes  of  our  names,  but 
the  name  of  our  God  must  be  known  and  honored,  or 
men  perish.  This  is  the  reason  why  all  good  men  are 
so  anxious  to  tell  to  others  all  they  know  about  it.  "His 
name  shall  endure  forever,"  says  the  Psalmist;  "His 
name  shall  endure  forever,"  is  the  echo  of  our  hearts. 

The  cathedrals,  pyramids,  and  temples  of  earth  may 
pass  away,  but  His  name  shall  endure  forever.  All 
earthly  kingdoms  may  perish,  but  His  name  shall  endure 
forever. 

The  great,  rich,  wise  and  mighty,  may  try  to  blacken 
and  destroy  it,  but  in  spite  of  all  their  madness,  and 
folly,  "His  NAME  SHALL  ENDURE  FOREYER." 

"People  and  realms  of  every  tongue, 
Dwell  on  His  love  with  sweetest  song, 
And  infant  voices  shall  proclaim, 
Their  early  blessings  on  His  name," 


OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM. 


"  Thy  Kingdom  Gome." — MATT,  vi:  10. 


OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 


*•  We  are  toiling  up  the  way, 
Narrow  way,  narrow  way, 
We  have  journeyed  many  a  day 

Toward  the  Kingdom. 
Toward  the  distant,  shining  land, 

Golden  land,  golden  land, 
Where  the  heavenly  harpers  stand 
In  the  Kingdom. 

Still  we  sing,  Christ  our  King 

Walks  with  us  the  weary  way, 
And  the  shining  angels  wait, 

Angels  wait,  angels  wait, 
To  unbar  the  golden  gate 
Of  the  Kingdom." 

M.  ir.  Hackelton. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  has  come.  The  day  has  dawned, 
the  day  star  has  arisen,  and  the  opening  scenes  of  Our 
Father's  Kingdom,  the  glorious  era  of  light  and  love,  for 
which  the  great  and  good  of  ages  past  have  waited  and 
labored,  wept  and  prayed,  has  already  passed  before  the 
eyes  of  astonished  millions. 

The  nations  which  were  sitting  in  darkness,  have  seen 
great  light. 


46  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

The  bright  visions  of  hope  and  joy  and  future  triumph, 
dim,  shadowy  and  distant,  which  cheered  the  hearts  of 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  have  become  a  glorious  reality. 

This  is  the  gospel  message.  The  Kingdom  of  God 
has  come;  it  is  not  a  dream  of  the  past  or  hope  of  the 
future,  but  a  living,  present,  and  glorious  reality.  We 
are  living,  not  in  the  seed-time,  but  in  the  harvest. 

' '  We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling, 

In  a  grand  and  awful  time, 
In  an  age  on  ages  telling, 

To  be  living  is  sublime." 

It  matters  not  that  men  are  blind,  and  do  not  see  the 
glory  of  this  kingdom.  It  matters  not  that  men  are 
deaf,  and  do  not  hear  our  message.  Our  Lord  directs 
us  to  say,  as  we  shake  the  dust  from  our  feet,  "  Be  ye 
sure  of  this,  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  come  nigh 
unto  you.  " 

Tell  it  to  the  nations,  publish  it  to  every  creature,  to 
the  hardened  and  impenitent,  obdurate  and  unyielding, 
as  well  as  to  those  who  joyfully  accept  the  message. 
Proclaim  it  on  the  house-tops,  and  to  the  millions  who 
sit  in  pagan  clarKiiess,  that  "  now  is  the  accepted  time, 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  The  Kingdom  of  God  has 
come,  and  whosoever  will  may  enter  and  be  saved. 

How  blessed  the  message!  How  good  and  glorious 
the  tidings!  What  joyous  news  for  the  poor,  oppressed 
and  suffering  millions  of  a  death-doomed  race!  Already 


"  OrR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM."  47 

this  Kingdom  has  overspread  large  portions  of  this 
globe.  The  mightiest  minds  have  been  conquered,  sub- 
dued, and  held  beneath  its  sovereign  dominion.  Anti- 
Christ  is  shattered.  False  religions  are  withering  to 
their  very  roots.  The  once  proud  fabrics  of  idolatry  are 
tottering,  trembling,  falling,  and  the  long,  dark  night  of 
barbarism,  despotism,  and  superstition,  is  rapidly  rolling 
away.  Day  by  day  this  priyer  ascends,  and  day  by  day 
the  answer  comes,  and  the  Kingdom  advances. 

I.  The  King. 
II.    The  Kingdom. 
III.  The  Coming. 


I. 


Many  years  before  our  Savior  uttered  these  words, 
holy  men  had  said  that  the  time  was  coming  when  the 
God  of  Heaven  would  set  up  a  kingdom  which  should 
never  be  destroyed.  The  first  announcement  of  this 
great  truth  was  made  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  in  the 
promise  made  to  Adam. 

"It  was  the  saddest  time  e'er  known  on  earth, 
As  sin  and  sorrow  woke  in  Paradise, 
When  mercy's  voice,  'mid  frightened  nature's  cries, 

Broke  forth,  and  pledged  a  Savior's  birth.'' 

Father  Abraham  desired  to  see  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy,  and  from  the  battlements  of  Heaven  he  saw  it 


48  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/' 

and  was  glad.  Jacob,  the  aged  patriarch,  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  coming  glories,  and  died  exclaiming,  "  I 
have  waited  for  Thy  salvation,  O!  Lord/'  The  prophet 
Daniel  saw  the  kingdom,  in  vision,  breaking  in  pieces, 
destroying  and  subduing  all  other  kingdoms,  under  the 
figure  of  a  stone,  a  little  stone,  which  smote  the  image 
(type  of  earthly  kingdoms)  on  its  feet,  and  then  became 
a  mountain,  rising,  swelling,  enlarging,  and  increasing, 
until  at  length  it  filled  the  whole  earth.  The  same  event 
had  been  foretold  by  Enoch,  Noah,  Job,  Isaiah,  and 
many  other  prophets.  The  kingdom  was  symbolized  by 
the  Jewish  theocracy ;  its  peaceful  nature ,  glory  and  splen- 
dors shadowed  forth  by  the  reign  of  Solomon  ;  and  John 
the  Baptist  had  come  to  announce  its  near  approach,  cry- 
ing in  the  wilderness,  "prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord." 

But  there  could  be  no  kingdom  without  a  king,  and  He 
who  was  to  reign  in  such  a  kingdom  must  be  peculiarly 
fitted  for  the  position.  As  it  was  to  be  the  kingdom  of 
God,  He  must  be  divine,  in  order  that  He  might  under- 
stand the  nature  and  principles  of  the  divine  government. 

As  it  was  to  be  established  among  men,  and  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  He  must  be  a  human  being,  that  He  might 
have  sympathy  for  men,  and  be  a  suitable  judge  of  human 
actions.  Where  then  could  such  a  king  be  found  ?  Not 
among  men,  for  no  human  being  could  ever  pretend  to 
possess  such  qualifications.  Not  among  angels,  for 


Cf  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/'  49 

though  great  in  power  and  high  in  authority,  none  could 
ever  dare  to  claim  the  prerogatives  of  the  Infinite. 

With  all  the  universe  to  select  from,  God  the  Father 
searches  for  a  king.  He  looks  through  all  the  innumer- 
able worlds  which  he  has  created,  He  looks  through  all 
the  ranks  of  men,  He  looks  through  all  the  ranks  of 
angels.  From  gallery  to  gallery,  from  throne  to  throne, 
from  lowest  to  highest,  and  from  highest  to  lowest,  from 
the  simplest  and  the  humblest  up  through  all  the  princi- 
palities and  powers  to  the  mighty  arch-angels,  who  with 
Gabriel  stand  in  the  very  presence  of  God,  He  makes  a 
careful  search.  Last  of  all  He  looks  upon  His  Son,  His 
only  Son!  "the  brightness  of  His  Father's  glory,  and 
express  image  of  His  person." 

Here  is  one  in  whom  are  concentrated  all  the  necessary 
qualifications,  human  and  divine.  Here  is  one  whom 
above  all  others,  the  God  of  the  universe  delights  to 
honor.  Into  His  hands  this  new  kingdom  shall  be  com- 
mitted. He  shall  be  Lord  of  nature,  Lord  of  the  people; 
Conqueror  of  death,  and  King  of  glory.  His  dominion 
shall  be  "from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  rivers  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth."  Men  shall  be  blessed  in  Him,  and  all 
nations  shall  call  Him  blessed.  His  name  shall  be  called 
"  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  everlasting 
Father,  and  the  Prince  of  Peace." 

For  this  He  came,  and  for  this  He  suffered. 

It  is  said  of  the  ancient  princes  of  Egypt,  that  before 


50  "OuR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

they  could  sit  upon  the  throne  of  royalty,  and  take  into 
their  hands  the  reins  of  authority,  they  were  required  to 
pass  through  all  the  different  conditions  and  ranks  of 
•  society.  They  abstained  from  food  and  drink,  that  they 
might  understand  the  feelings  of  those  who  were  hungry 
and  thirsty,  and  destitute  of  the  common  mercies  of  life. 
They  toiled  with  burdens,  that  they  might  know  the 
feelings  of  the  slave.  From  the  field,  the  quarry,  or  the 
workshop,  they  went  into  the  palace  of  the  king  to  serve, 
and  so  passed  through  all  kinds  of  labor  and  of  service, 
all  ranks  and  grades  of  society,  from  that  of  the  lowest 
menial  up  to  the  throne  itself,  in  order  that  they  might 
sympathize  with  all,  and  understand  their  joys  and  sor- 
rows, pleasures  and  privations. 

Similar  to  this  was  the  humiliation  and  suffering  of 
Christ.  "Though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  He 
became  poor."  "It  became  Him  for  whom  are  all 
things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many 
sons  to  glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation 
perfect  through  sufferings."  Though  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  world  were  His,  yet  He  "made  himself  of  no 
reputation,"  and  there  is  no  condition  of  suffering,  of 
service,  or  of  severe  temptation,  with  which  He  is  not  fully 
conversant.  He,  then,  and  He  alone,  is  King,  and  the 
claim  of  the  Koman  Pontiff  as  supreme  judge  and  direc- 
tor of  the  consciences  of  men — "the  sole,  last,  and 
supreme  judge  of  right  and  wrong,"  is  nothing  less  than 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/'  51 

blasphemy.  The  title  of  " Blessed  and  only  Potentate, 
King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,"  belongs  alone  to 
Jesus,  and  the  time  is  coming  when  "  every  knee  shall 
bow,  and  every  tongue  confess"  this  truth. 

II. 

This  kingdom  is  a  gracious  kingdom.  This  is  its  first 
and  most  distinguishing  characteristic.  It  is  a  kingdom 
of  grace,  a  reign  of  sovereign,  free  and  everlasting  grace. 

In  this  kingdom  God  is  offering  special  gifts  and 
favors  to  undeserving  and  rebellious  men.  Men  who 
have  forfeited  all  claim  to  the  peculiar  privileges  of  the 
governments  in  which  they  live,  may  here  find  pardon 
and  favor.  Earthly  monarchs  are  considered  gracious 
when  they  yield  to  the  earnest  petitions  of  their  subjects; 
but  God  manifests  His  love  to  us,  in  that  "  while  we 
were  yet  sinners  Christ  died  for  us."  Before  the  ruin, 
the  redemption  began;  before  men  sued  for  pardon,  the 
free  gift  came.  No  sinner  would  ever  have  been  saved, 
and  no  song  of  redemption  would  ever  have  been  sung 
on  earth,  or  heard  in  Heaven,  but  for  this  grace. 

"  Grace  first  contrived  the  way 

To  save  rebellious  man, 
And  all  the  steps  that  grace  display, 

Which  drew  the  wondrous  plan. 

"  Grace  all  the  work  shall  crown 

Through  everlasting  days  ; 
It  lays  in  Heaven  the  topmost  stone, 

And  well  deserves  the  praise." 


52  £COuR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/' 

Grace  laid  the  plan  of  redemption.  Grace  brought 
the  Son  of  God  from  Heaven.  Grace  caused  Him  will- 
ingly to  suffer.  Grace  drove  the  nails  into  His  feet  and 
hands,  and  the  spear  into  His  side.  Grace  ' '  laid  on  Him 
the  iniquities  of  us  all/'  and  made  all  the  goodness  and 
glory  of  God  to  pass  before  us  in  His  life  of  toil,  and 
His  death  of  agony.  He  was  "full  of  grace  and  truth/' 
and  so  gloriously  did  it  shine  in  all  His  actions,  that  no 
one  could  behold  Him  without  being  drawn  unto  Him 
by  a  silent,  secret,  mighty  and  irresistible  power.  It  is 
this  which  charms  men — captivates  them  and  holds  them 
spell-bound — the  wondrous  grace  and  goodness  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  as  revealed  in  Jesus,  our  King. 

It  is  said  of  the  Empress  Josephine,  that  she  was  born 
to  rule,  and  that  in  every  action  of  her  life,  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave,  her  queenly  character  was  strikingly 
manifest.  Careful  observers  of  human  nature  prophe- 
sied of  her  even  in  her  childhood,  that  she  would  be  the 
Queen  of  France.  Strangers  drew  back  from  her  with 
signs  of  agitation,  as  from  the  presence  of  a  superior 
being.  There  was  a  native  dignity  and  grace  in  every 
step  and  every  motion,  which  gave  unmistakable  evidence 
of  her  queenly  character.  Children,  and  servants, 
friends,  and  relatives,  all  acknowledged  her  authority  and 
superiority,  and  gave  her  the  willing  obedience  and  hom- 
age of  loving  hearts.  Similar  to  this,  though  in  a  higher 
and  a  holier  sense,  is  the  authority  of  Jesus.  His  yoke 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM."  53 

is  not  a  yoke  of  bondage,  but  a  yoke  of  love.  He  lias 
all  power,  but  the  only  power  He  uses  in  His  kingdom 
is  the  power  of  love.  Men,  weak  men,  who  have  no 
power  except  as  it  is  given  them  from  above,  try  to  carry 
things  by  force,  and  found  their  kingdoms  upon  force, 
but  He  whose  glory  covers  the  heavens,  and  whose 
majesty  is  such  that  angels  bow  before  Him,  never 
attempts  such  folly,  but  with  sweetest  humiliation,  and 
more  than  human  tenderness,  reasons,  invites  and  pleads. 
He  subdues,  conquers,  and  binds  men  to  Him  by  reveal- 
ing love'  manifesting  grace.  He  has  no  slaves  around 
His  throne,  and  no  unwilling  subjects.  Such  is  the  love 
and  devotion  of  His  people,  that  if  the  throne  of  univer- 
sal power  were  vacant,  and  they  had  the  privilege  of  an 
election,  they  would  place  Him  on  that  throne  by  accla- 
mation, and  without  a  dissenting  voice. 

Such  is  the  mighty,  all  constraining  power  of  grace. 
Eeason  says:  "It  will  encourage  men  in  evil ;  it  will 
make  sin  seem  a  little  thing  ;  you  must  hold  up  over  men 
the  idea  of  a  God  who  is  stern  and  revengeful.  Pour 
out  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  them  !  Let  the  hot 
thunderbolts  descend  and  crush  them  !  Let  them  be 
cursed  in  basket  and  store,  in  sickness  and  health,  in  life 
and  death,  in  time  and  eternity."  Jesussays:  "  Go  to  men 
and  tell  them  of  the  love  there  is  in  Heaven  for  them. 
High  above  every  other  object,  and  glittering  iu  the  sun- 
light of  the  smiles  of  God,  lift  the  blood-stained  banner 


54  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/' 

of  the  cross."     <'And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me." 

Here,  then,  is  the  secret  of  the  mighty  power  which 
this  kingdom  is  exerting  over  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men 
— the  grace  of  God  as  revealed  in  Jesus. 

The  instrument  of  this  power  is  the  word,  this  ever- 
lasting word  ;  but  the  essence  of  it  is  in  Christ 
crucified.  We  point  men  not  to  reformation,  self- 
development,  or  to  any  of  the  sickly  sentimentalisms  of 
modern  reformers,  but  to  the  cross — the  cross  of  Calvary, 
as  the  spring  of  every  promise,  source  of  every  invitation, 
the  starting  point  of  love,  life,  liberty,  and  the  blessed 
hopes  of  immortality  and  eternal  glory.  Here  in  the 
cross  they  may  see  all  that  they  can  desire — yea,  more 
than  in  the  highest  flights  of  imagination  they  ever  could 
conceive — of  the  boundless  love  and  grace  of  this  glorious 
kingdom. 

The  spirituality  of  this  kingdom  is  another  important 
characteristic  of  it.  Invisible  to  the  eye  of  sense,  its 
glories  and  beauties  are  only  apprehended  by  the  higher 
faculties,  the  supernatural  powers,  when  quickened  and 
illumined  by  the  Spirit.  "  The  natural  man  perceiveth 
not  the  things  of  the  Spirit."  <(  Unto  you  it  is  given  to 
know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom,  but  to  them  it  is  not 
given."  There  is  a  natural  sense,  and  there  is  a  spiritual 
sense — a  lower  range  of  faculties,  and  a  higher.  With 
the  lower  we  take  in  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  and  all 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM.'*  55 

natural  objects.  With  the  higher,  we  take  in  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven,  and  objects  invisible  and  supernatural. 

In  men  who  are  unrenewed,  unregenerate,  having  not 
the  Spirit,  these  higher  faculties  are  closed,  dead, 
inactive.  They  see  only  with  the  lower.  In  fact,  they 
never  know  the  existence  of  any  higher  powers  within 
tiiem,  or  the  joy  which  comes  from  their  use,  until  they 
are  renewed  by  the  Lord  himself.  The  man  who  always 
lives  in  the  basement  story  of  his  house,  can  never  have 
as  broad  a  range  of  vision  as  he  who  goes  up  higher. 
His  vision  is  limited.  He  cannot  see  afar  off.  A.11  the 
distant  portions  of  the  landscape  are  hidden  from  him. 
His  perception  of  objects  without  is  determined  by  the 
position  he  occupies  within  the  house.  Just  so  the  views 
you  have  of  Christ  and  His  kingdom  depend  entirely 
on  the  position  of  your  spirit,  and  the  faculties  through 
which  it  looks.  Look  only  through  the  darkened 
and  depraved  faculties  of  your  animal  nature,  and  you 
will  see  what  any  other  animal  may  see,  Look  through 
the  windows  of  reason,  memory,  and  imagination,  and 
you  may  see  what  infidels,  philosophers,  and  scientific 
men,  such  as  Parker,  Strauss  and  Be  nan  have  seen.  But 
if  you  would  see  Jesus, — if  you  would  see  the  Son  of 
Man  coming  in  His  Kingdom,  you  must  go  up  higher, 
and  look  through  the  windows  of  faith,  hope  and  love. 

These  belong  to  our  higher  nature,  our  spiritual  life. 
They  take  in  Calvary,  Heaven,  the  glorious  future, 


56  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

God,  and  Christ,  and  the  mysteries  of  redeeming  love,  all 
of  which  are  unknown,  and  as  good  as  non-existent,  to 
those  who  having  eyes  see  not,  and  in  whom  the  f 'god  of 
this  world  hath  blinded  the  eyes  of  them  that  believe 
not." 

Three  men  were  riding  on  horseback  through  a  roman- 
tic country  on  a  summer's  day.  Their  road  wound  up 
the  side  of  a  hill,  and  when  they  reached  the  summit  a 
great  range  of  country  lay  before  them.  They  stopped 
to  look  at  it.  "  What  a  splendid  subject  for  a  painting!" 
said  one.  "Do  you  see  that  little  hill,  with  its  dark 
clump  of  trees  in  shadow  for  the  foreground,  and  that 
beautiful  middle  distance,  with  the  winding  and  reaches 
of  the  stream,  and  the  village  roofs  all  glistening  in  the 
sunlight,  and  then  that  exquisite  soft  blue  distance,  and 
the  pale  mountains  beyond?" 

"I  confess,"  said  the  second,  "I  did  not  see  your 
picture,  but  I  was  struck  with  the  extraordinary  geologi- 
cal character  of  the  country,  especially  those  terraces, 
one  above  the  other,  marking  the  heights  at  which  the 
river  used  to  stand." 

"And  I,"  said  the  third,  "noticed  neither,  but  I 
thought  1  had  never  seen  a  place  better  adapted  for  a 
military  position.  That  opening  in  the  hill  is  so  defens- 
ible; those  terraces  are  so  adapted  for  batteries;  nature 
has  already  made  the  works,  which  would  require  «n 
army  working  for  months  to  erect." 


"  OUK  FATH LIU'S  KINGDOM."  57 

Kaoli  saw  what  he  had  in  his  own  mind,  one  being  an 
artist,  one  a  geologist,  and  the  third  a  general,  and  what 
was  visible  to  one  was  invisible  to  the  others.  We  see, 
then,  what  we  want  to  see,  what  we  love  most,  and  what 
our  minds  and  hearts  are  fixed  upon. 

Go  over  the  hills  and  through  the  forests  with  gun  in 
hand,  and  no  other  end  in  view  but  to  kill  and  bring 
home  game,  and  you  may  see  rabbits,  terror-stricken  and 
running  for  dear  life  across  the  meadows;  squirrels 
seeking  their  holes  in  the  ground,  or  leaping  from 
braach  to  branch,  and  from  tree  to  tree,  affrighted; 
quails,  pigeons,  and  birds  of  every  variety  of  form, 
size  and  color,  hastening  away  and  hiding  them- 
selves, and  you  may  bring  home  what  you  went  for, 
but  nothing  more.  Go  again,  with  a  higher  pur- 
pose. Go  with  thought,  reflection,  and  prayer  to 
God  for  light  and  inspiration.  Station  yourself  in  the 
midst  of  theforest,«and  there  listen,  wait  arid  watch,  and 
all  the  hidden  mysteries  of  nature  will  come  to  you,  and 
reveal  their  beauties  to  you,  and  you  will  see  what  you 
have  never  seen  before,  and  what  is  never  revealed 
except  to  patient  watching  and  waiting,  and  you  will 
say  with  the  poet, 

"  There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods, 

There  is  a  rapture  on  the  lonely  shore, 
There  is  a  society  where  none  intrudes, 

By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 


58  "  OUR  ^FATHER'S  KINGDOM/* 

I  love  not  man  the  less,  but  nature  more, 
From  these  our  interviews,  in  which  I  steal 

Away  from  all  I  may  be,  or  have  heen  before, 
And  mingle  with  the  universe,  and  feel 

What  I  can  ne'er  express,  yet  cannot  all  conceal." 

Now,  what  is  true  of  the  kingdom  of  nature  is  also  true 
of  the  kingdom  of  grace.  The  outward  sight  depends 
upon  the  inward.  The  objective  kingdom  is  seen  alone 
by  those  who  have  the  kingdom  of  love  within.  "Except 
a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

This  kingdom  is  immutable.  "  Wherefore  we,  receiv- 
ing a  kingdom  which  cannot  be  moved,  let  us  have  grace 
whereby  we  may  serve  God  acceptably." 

Earthly  governments  are  from  their  very  nature  muta- 
ble and  temporary.  They  meet  a  present  want,  and  pass 
away.  They  are  often  built  on  shaky  bogs,  and  ever- 
shifting  sands;  and  even  those  which  are  comparatively 
good,  are  full  of  imperfections.  Originating  in  man, 
they  partake  of  his  nature,  and  are  therefore  perishable. 
This  kingdom  is  from  above,  and  not  from  beneath,  from 
Heaven,  and  not  from  men. 

The  God  of  the  Bible  is  the  God  of  the  universe,  and 
He  has  said,  "  The  gates  of  Hell  shall  not  prevail"  against 
this  kingdom.  All  opposition  then  to  the  reign  of  our 
King  is  vain  and  ruinous. 

"The  heathen  raged,  the  kingdoms  were  moved, 
He  uttered  His  voice,  the  earth  melted."  "The  Lord 


e<OuR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM."  59 

of  Hosts  is  with  us,  the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge/' 
Devils  may  rage,  but  God  reigns.  The  earth  may  be 
troubled,  but  Heaven  retains  its  eternal  tranquility. 
All  the  assaults  of  wicked  men  and  devils  have  never 
caused  the  slightest  change  in  the  plans  of  Heaven,  or 
the  least  anxiety  in  regard  to  their  ultimate  accomplish- 
ment. In  calm,  quiet,  and  majestic  sovereignty  the  King 
of  Heaven  sits,  looking  down  in  pity  on  the  vain  attempts 
of  those  who,  lashed  to  fury  by  their  evil  passions,  raise 
their  puny  arms  of  rebellion  against  His  throne.  "  He 
that  sitteth  in  the  Heavens  shall  laugh." 

"  Vain  sons  of  elrth,  attempt  ye  still  to  rise, 
By  mountains  piled  on  mountains  to  the  skies; 
Heaven  still  with  laughter  the  vain  toil  surveys, 
And  buries  madmen  in  the  heaps  they  raise." 

One  important  element  of  this  stability  is  its  righteous- 
ness. All  the  principles  on  which  it  is  founded  are  pure 
and  perfect.  Its  laws  are  in  perfect  accord  with  the 
eternal  laws  of  truth.  They  are  not  like  human  statutes, 
true  to-day  and  false  to-morrow,  applicable  in  one  age 
and  obsolete  in  another.  They  are  true  always,  at  all 
times,  in  all  places,  under  all  circumstances,  and  among 
all  nations,  ages,  and  races  of  men.  Can  truth  die? 
Can  righteousness  die  ?  If  not,  then  this  kingdom  can- 
not be  destroyed,  for  it  is  founded  on  the  everlasting 
principles  of  truth  and  righteousness. 

Our  Lord  is  not  a  usurper.     His  crown  is  not  wrenched 


GO  ll  OUK  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

from  the  grasp  or  stolen  from  the  head  of  another.  No 
marks  of  blood,  or  tears,  the  blood  of  the  innocent,  or 
the  tears  of  widows  and  orphans,  will  ever  be  found  upon 
His  diadem,  and  no  being  will  ever  question  His  right  o*r 
title  to  His  throne.  Righteous  in  itself,  this  kingdom  or 
religion  commends  itself  to  the  sense  of  righteousness 
which  God  has  implanted  in  the  breast  of  every  rational 
creature.  It  lays  hold  of  that  part  of  our  nature  which 
is  indestructible,  the  heart,  the  soul,  the  immortal  and 
imperishable  spirit.  Human  laws  pertain  to  the  out- 
ward life,  these  to  the  in  ward.  Human  laws  reach  the 
lower  nature,  the  materia? and  physical;  these  reach  the 
higher  and  spiritual .  Human  laws  pertain  to  the  present, 
the  visible,  and  the  temporal;  these  to  the  unseen  and 
eternal.  Laying  hold  thus  of  that  which  is  imperishable, 
though  the  subjects  of  this  kingdom  may  die,  the  king- 
dom itself  must  from  its  very  nature,  be  everlasting. 

There  is  so  much  combustible  material,  so  much  that 
is  of  the  earth,  earthy  and  perishable,  in  all  false  systems 
of  religion,  that  they  cannot  endure;  they  must  die. 
Look  into  the  hearts,  and  homes,  and  lives  of  those  who 
oppose  this  kingdom— those  who  are  outwardly  moral, 
refined  and  intelligent,  as  well  as  those  who  are  openly 
vile  and  sinful." 

See  what  antagonistic  principles  and  opinions,  no  two 
agreeing  upon  any  one  thing!  See  the  wrath,  hate, 
malice,  and  all  manner  of  evil  affections  which  are 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM/'  61 

often  covered  up  by  an  outside  show  of  gentility !  See  the 
ignorance,  error,  superstition,  oppression  and  cruelty  in 
all  false  systems  of  religion,  and  then  thank  God  for  a 
kingdom  of  righteousness,  peace  and  love;  a  religion 
which  possesses  such  elements  of  harmony  and  stability, 
that  it  cannot  be  moved  or  shaken.  Come  on,  ye  pow- 
ers of  darkness !  Come  on,  ye  fiends  of  the  pit !  Hurl 
your  darts!  Scatter  your  fire-brands!  Insinuate  your 
doubts,  and  breathe  your  base  suspicions! 

"Zion  stands  with  hills  surrounded, 

Zion  kept  by  power  divine; 
All  her  foes  shall  be  confounded, 

Though  the  world  in  arms  combine. 
Happy  Zion, 

What  a  favored  lot  is  thine." 

"No  weapon  formed  against  her  shall  prosper,  and 
every  tongue  which  rises  up  in  judgment  against  her  she 
shall  condemn."  The  stars  may  fall,  the  heavens  be 
rolled  up  as  a  scroll,  and  the  earth  may  reel  and  stagger 
as  a  drunken  man;  yea,  all  things  material  in  the  universe 
may  be  shaken  down  and  overthrown,  but  one  city  will 
survive  the  ruin,  on^>  kingdom  will  emerge  from  the  uni- 
versal wreck. 

III. 

The  coming  of  this  kingdom  is  the  coming  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  descending  from  God  out  of  Heaven,  revising, 
reconstructing,  pouring  into  the  darkened  minds  of  men. 


62  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

its  living  streams  of  truth  and  love,  sweeping  away 
all  barriers  of  prejudice  and  passion,  and  mating  all 
things  new. 

"  Three  rivers  of  fire/'  says  Paschal,  "traverse  the 
earth  to  consume  and  curse  it;  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the 
lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life."  God  sends  from 
Heaven  the  river  "whose  streams  make  glad  the  city  of 
our  God,"  to  counteract  their  pernicious  influence,  and 
save  poor,  helpless,  sin-cursed  souls,  who  are  struggling 
within  their  flaming  waters,  or  borne  down  by  them. 
Satan  has  unloosed  the  flood  gates  of  sin,  death  and 
hell,  Christ,  our  King,  has  opened  the  gates  of  bliss 
and  glory,  and  through  the  Bible,  the  Sabbath,  the  min- 
istry, all  missionary  societies,  and  all  other  means  of 
grace,  He  is  pouring  light,  and  life,  and  love  divine  into 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  men. 

Such  a  kingdom  ought  to  come,  for  all  its  principles 
are  elevating,  and  ennobling.  Let  the  children  of  Zion, 
the  children  of  our  Heavenly  King,  stand  up  then  in  the 
strength  of  God,  and  declare  that  what  ought  to  come 
must  come,  and  xhall  come.  Those  who  are  for  us  are 
more  than  those  who  are  against  us,  and  He  who  sits 
upon  the  throne,  who  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come,  is  not 
an  idle  spectator.  He  sees,  He  hears,  and  He  himself  has 
taught  us  this  petition.  The  struggle  may  be  long,  but 
victory  is  sure.  History  says  so;  experience  says  so; 
reason  says  so;  conscience  says  so;  God  says  so;  and  let 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM."  63 

all  the  people  say  amen.  Look  then  for  the  final  triumph . 
Toil  on,  fight  on,  pray  on,  with  your  faces  toward  the 
sun. 

Skeptical  men,  friends  of  progress  and  culture,  speak 
in  glowing  terms  of  the  humanitarian  age,  and  of  the 
signs  which  indicate  its  near  approach.  The  Mohamme- 
dan looks  for  a  kingdom  of  sensual  delight.  The  Indian 
looks  for  the  return  of  those  who  have  gone  into  the 
unseen  world,  and  hopes  for  better  times  and  happier 
hunting  grounds,  than  he  has  ever  enjoyed. 

Let  us  look  for  the  coming  of  our  Xing.  Believe  in  His 
coming.  Search  the  Scriptures  for  the  promises  and 
prophecies  of  this  great  event.  Prepare  the  way,  and  let 
Him  see  that  down  deep  in  our  hearts  we  desire  His  coming 
more  than  the  coming  of  any  earthly  friend,  or  any  creature 
good.  Prepare  the  way  in  your  family.  Prepare  the  way 
by  helping  others  in  the  church  to  which  you  belong. 
Prepare  the  way  by  giving  to  the  cause  of  missions — Home 
and  Foreign — and  above  all,  prepare  the  way  in  your 
iivn  heart. 

From  the  souls  of  martyrs  under  God's  altar,  from  the 
smitten  and  afflicted  church,  tossed  with  tempests  and  not 
comforted,  from  pagans  and  savages,  Mohammedans  and 
Christians,  from  the  votaries  of  true  religion,  false  religion, 
and  no  religion,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  voluntarily 
or  involuntarily,  the  substance  of  this  prayer  is  constantly 
ascending,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  kingdom  come/' 


(54-  "  OUR  FATHER'S  KINGDOM." 

« 

And  it  is  coming;  yea,  the  King  himself  is  coming; 
corning  with  the  years,  coining  with  the  months,  corning 
with  the  weeks,  days,  minutes,  coming  with  every  heart 
throb;  and  He  will  never  turn  from  His  purpose,  or 
cease  from  His  work,  till  He  has  subdued  all  things  to 
himself. 


IV. 


OUR  FATHER'S  WILL. 


"Thy  ivill  be  done   in  earth,  as   it   is  in  Heaven. "- 
MATT.  vi  :  10. 


"OUR  FATHER'S   WILL" 


"My  God,  my  Father,  while  I  stray 
Far  from  my  home  in  life's  rough  way, 
O !    teach  me  from  my  heart  to  say, 
Thy  will  be  done. 

"Then  when  on  earth  I  breathe  no  more, 
The  prayer  half-mixed  with  tears  before, 
I'll  sing  upon  a  happier  shore, 

Thy  will  be  done." 

Miss  Elliot. 

Our  Father  has  a  kingdom  among  men.  Do  you  wish 
to  enjoy  its  peculiar  blessings  and  privileges?  Do  you 
wish  to  have  a  place  in  it  here  and  now,  and  a  share  in 
its  coming  glories  and  splendors  ?  Then  the  question 
of  supreme  impoitance  to  you  is,  What  is  the  Father's 
will  ?  Or,  in  other  words,  what  are  the  laws  and  prin- 
ciples on  which  He  is  pleased  to  administer  His  govern- 
ment, and  in  accordance  with  which  I  must  shape  my 
life  in  order  to  win  His  favor? 

Three  common  errors  meet  us  here,  into  which  we  are 
liable  to  fall  in  the  use  of  this  petition.  The  first  is  the 
error  or  sin  of  irreverence,  using  the  words  of  the  prayer 
without  thought  or~reflection. 


68  "OuK  FATHER'S  WILL." 

Carelessness,  rashness,  and  heedlessness,  are  very 
common  sins  in  this  fast  age.  Our  activity,  restlessness, 
and  over-heated  zeal,  call  for  more  of  the  wisdom  which 
comes  from  above.  Young  America  is  in  special  need 
of  counsel  here,  for  where  there  is  too  much  sail  for  the 
ballast,  too  much  power  for  the  strength  of  the  machin- 
ery, there  is  certainly  great  danger  of  wreck  and  ruin. 

To  fix  the  attention  on  the  inner  life — the  life  of  the 
soul — and  hold  it  there,  calmly  watching,  patiently 
waiting,  and  carefully  trying  all  the  secret  springs  of 
thought  and  feeling,  is  not  an  easy  work ;  and  so  we 
shirk  the  duty,  and  rush  into  the  presence  of  the  Infinite 
and  Eternal  one,  with  no  preparation,  and  no  adequate 
conception  of  the  solemn  and  momentous  import  of  the 
language  which  we  use. 

Insincerity  is  another  common  error.  There  are  many 
who  put  on  the  appearance  of  respect,  and  manifest 
great  reverence  in  tone  and  manner,  while  the  heart  is 
wanting.  They  have  a  holy  tone,  a  sanctimonious  look, 
and  a  wonderful  freedom  in  the  use  of  cant  phrases,  but 
they  lack  that  genuine  love,  that  holy  familiarity,  which 
comes  to  God.  as  to  a  dear  and  well-tried  friend  in  con- 
fident expectation.  They  are  like  children  who  knock  at 
the  doors  of  houses  and  then  run  away.  They  repeat  the 
words,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done/'  with- 
out a  single  thought  of  what  the  result  would  be  if  God 
should  answer  their  petitions,  and  when  if  they  would 


"Ouii  FATHKK'S  WILL."  69 

express  their  real  desires  they  would  say,  my  king- 
dom come,  and  my  will  be  done.  They  fill  their  minds 
and  hearts  with  earthly  treasures,  lock  the  door  and 
throw  away  the  key,  and  then  sit  down  complacently 
and  say,  "Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done/'  If 
God  answers  such  prayers,  He  must  do  it  by  great  and 
terrible  things  which  they  look  not  for,  by  the  fire  and 
hammer  of  His  word,  or  the  fiercer  fires  of  affliction. 

Others  divide  the  petition,  take  one-half  and  leave 
the  other.  They  say,  "Thy  will  be  done,"  while  they 
omit  the  rule  or  standard  by  which  we  are  to  determine 
the  nature  of  that  will,  viz:  "  as  it  is  done  in  Heaven." 
They  consider  the  whole  petition  as  having  reference 
only  to  the  duties  of  resignation,  submission,  endurance 
and  patience.  Now  it  is  one  thing  to  suffer,  and  another 
thing  to  do  God's  will.  Patience  and  conservatism  make 
excellent  ballast,  but  they  never  saved  a  sinking  ship. 

Is  a  tame  submission  to  sin  and  error  doing  the  will 
of  God  as  it  is  done  in  Heaven  ?  Are  we  to  sit  still  and 
fold  our  hands,  while  oppression  and  cruelty,  infidelity 
and  intemperance  prevail,  while  the  malice  of  wicked 
men  and  devils  threatens  the  destruction  of  everything 
good  upon  the  earth?  Is  this  to  do  His  will  as  it  is  in 
Heaven?  Is  Heaven  full  of  sin  and  sorrow,  and  are 
saints  and  angels  suffering  and  enduring? 
I.  What,  then,  is  this  will;  and 

II.     What  is  the  meaning  of  this  petition. 


70  "Gun  FATHER'S  WILL." 

I. 

The  will  of  God,  like  the  kingdom  of  God,  has  a  two- 
fold aspect.  There  is  a  secret  will  and  a  revealed  will. 
The  one  belongs  exclusively  to  God,  the  other  belongs 
to  us  and  to  our  children. 

The  one  is  far  above  and  out  of  our  sight,  infinite, 
eternal,  unknown  and  incomprehensible;  the  other  is 
made  so  plain  and  clear,  that  the  way -faring  man,  though 
a  fool,  need  not  err  therein. 

The  secret  will  of  God  "  is  His  eternal  purpose,  whereby 
for  His  own  glory  He  has  foreordained  whatsoever  comes 
to  pass/'  It  is  the  "  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth."  It 
is  the  wonderful,  mysterious  book,  written  within  and  on 
the  back  side,  and  sealed  with  seven  seals  ;  the  book 
which  no  man  in  Heaven,  or  earth,  or  under  the  earth, 
could  open  or  read.  It  is  the  chain,  the  golden  chain, 
which  binds  all  beings  and  events  to  the  throne  of  God. 
It  is  the  plan  which  runs  far  down  beneath  all  human 
plans  and  operations — in  accordance  with  which  all 
things  are  working  ;  all  things  in  nature  and  providence, 
law  and  gospel,  working  together  in  perfect  harmony, 
though  in  seeming  discord  and  confusion,  working 
together  for  good,  the  highest  possible  good  of  them  that 
love  God.  God  has  a  plan,  a  purpose,  a  will — an 
infinite,  eternal,  unchangeable  will.  On  that  will  all 
things  in  the  universe  depend,  and  as  that  will  is  holy, 


'<  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL."  71 

the  very  thought  of  it  ought  to  fill  our  hearts  with  joy 
and  gladness,  and  cause  us  to  unite  with  all  the  redeemed, 
and  all  the  holy  angels  in  crying  :  "  Alleluia  ;  blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  Him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and 
ever." 

But  the  will  with  which  we  have  to  do  especially,  is 
what  is  called  His  revealed  will.  This  will  is  included 
within  the  secret  will,  as  a  wheel  within  a  wheel.  In 
other  words,  it  is  that  portion  of  God's  will  which  has 
respect  especially  to  this  world,  and  to  human  beings. 
It  is  a  revelation  of  love,  and  a  rule  of  duty.  A  single, 
definite,  universal  rule, — a  rule  of  faith,  and  a  rule  of 
practice,  and  the  only  rule  God  has  given  to  men  "to 
direct  how  we  may  glorify  and  enjoy  Him."  It  contains 
rich  legacies,  and  points  out  clearly  the  conditions  on 
which  they  may  be  secured.  The  clearest  literal  ex- 
pression of  this  will  is  given  in  the  Bible — the  Old  and 
New  Testaments  being  but  different  parts  of  a  single 
will. 

When  men  are  about  to  depart  this  life,  in  order  to 
make  sure  of  the  execution  of  their  purposes,  or  wishes, 
they  record  them  in  what  is  called  their  last  will,  or 
testament;  a  paper  which  is  signed,  sealed,  and  ratified 
in  the  presence  of  competent  witnesses.  So  our  Heavenly 
Father,  in  order  to  make  His  will  more  perfectly  known 
to  us,  delivers  it  in  covenants,  writes  it  with  His  own 


72  ««OUK  FATHER'S  WILL." 

finger  on  tables  of  stone, — hands  it  down  from  Heaven 
amid  the  tliunderings  and  lightnings  of  Sinai,  records 
and  preserves  it  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  at  last,  in  the 
presence  of  assembled  multitudes  of  men  and  angels, 
seals  and  ratifies  it  with  the  blood  of  His  own  son. 

A  young  man  who  had  fallen  heir  to  a  large  estate, 
was  led  about  by  friends  to  view  his  possessions;  and  as 
they  took  him  from  place  to  place,  from  house  to  house, 
from  store  to  store,  and  from  farm  to  farm,  saying,  "this 
is  yours,  and  this,  and  this/'  he  was  so  completely  over- 
powered that  he  died  from  excess  of  joy  and  surprise- 
Yet  strange  as  it  may  seern,  when  we  read  this  will  of 
our  Infinite  Father,  and  tell  men  what  it  contains,  we 
can  scarcely  get  their  attention  for  half  an  hour.  Some 
treat  it  with  utter  contempt,  some  try  to  impeach  it 
or  contest  it,  charging  our  God  wtih  imbecility  or  insan- 
ity, and  some  declare  the  conditions  unreasonable  and 
impracticable. 

Eenan  says  our  Lord  was  a  very  good  man,  but  crazy, 
imagining  that  He  was  God,  and  that  He  had  great 
honors  and  possessions  to  bestow  on  His  favorites.  So 
men  ireat  this  will.  All  its  promises,  they  say,  are 
fictitious,  untrue,  without  foundation,  and  all  the  hopes 
we  rest  upon  them  are  visionary,  fantastic,  Utopian. 
Truth  is  so  much  stranger  than  fiction,  the  verities  of  God's 
word  so  much  more  wonderful  than  the  vanities  of  the 
world,  that  men  will  not  believe  them.  Take  this  passage 


"  Ouii  FATUKK'S   WILL."  73 

of  the  will  for  instance,  in  Matthew  ix  :  13,  "I  will  have 
mercy,  and  not  sacrifice."  It  is  a  quotation  from  Hosea 
vi  :  (>.  It  was  a  favorite  with  our  Lord,  and  if  we  had 
the  roll  of  parchment  which  He  used,  we  would  doubtless 
find  it  marked.  When  they  condemned  Him  for  eating 
with  publicans  and  sinners,  He  said,  "  Go  and  learn  what 
that  meaneth  ;  I  will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice." 
Again,  when  they  condemned  Him  for  breaking  the 
Sabbath,  He  said,  "If  ye  had  known  what  that  meaneth, 
I  will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have 
condemned  the  guiltless." 

All  through  the  ages,  God's  ministers  have  been  try- 
ing to  show  men  what  this  mercy  is,  how  abundant,  full, 
free  and  everlasting.  The  Old  Testament  and  the  New 
are  full  of  its  promises  and  invitations,  still  men  ridicule 
and  despise  it. 

The  history  of  this  world  is  filled  with  demonstrations 
of  this  mercy.  The  church  of  God  is  filled  with  saved 
sinners,  penitent  sinners,  pardoned  sinners,  such  as 
David,  Saul,  Peter,  the  publican,  the  thief,  Augustine, 
Newton,  Bunyan,  and  a  host  of  others,  who  have  proved 
this  truth  by  their  own  experience,  yet  men  will  not 
believe  it.  And  last  of  all,  the  greatest,  the  most  won- 
derful and  amazing  expression  of  love  a"hd  mercy  is  held 
before  them,  even  the  death  of  God  the  Son,  on  Calvary? 
and  yet  men  ridicule  and  despise  this  will,  and  tell  us 
it  is  nothing  to  them. 


74  c<  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

Again,  take  this  passage  in  Matthew  viii  :  14  :  "It  is 
not  the  will  of  your  Heavenly  Father  that  one  of  these 
little  ones  should  perish."  Here  is  our  Father's  will 
respecting  little  children.  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
those  other  blessed  words  of  our  blessed  Lord,  "Of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven."  We  see  now  why  the 
great  majority  of  the  people  of  this  world  die  in  infancy 
and  childhood.  God  wants  them  in  His  glorious  king- 
dom above,  and  in  order  to  make  sure  of  them,  He  takes 
them  away  in  their  beauty  and  purity.  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  millions  of  little  children  in  Heaven,  and  the 
number  is  constantly  increasing.  They  are  safe  forever. 
They  are  at  rest  forever, 

'  Free  from  temptation  and  from  sin, 
\\ith  God  eternally  shut  in." 

Never  again  will  they  weep,  or  suffer,  sin,  or  die. 
When  the  murderous  Athaliah  was  destroying,  or 
trying  to  destroy,  all  the  children  of  the  royal  family, 
and  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  innocent  victims  were 
ringing  in  the  ears  of  the  frightened  populace,  God 
saved  the  little  prince  Joash,  by  hiding  him  in  the  temple. 
So  now,  while  sin  is  doing  its  work  of  death,  poisoning 
some,  starving  some,  and  piercing  others  through  and 
through  with  the  sword  of  error,  He  saves  a  vast  multi- 
tude by  gathering  them  into  His  glorious  temple  above, 
where  profanity,  drunkenness,  Sabbath  desecration,  and 
the  sins  which  afflict  and  grieve  us  can  never  enter. 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL."  7e5 

You  who  are  bereaved,  whose  hearts  are  burdened, 
wounded,  stricken  and  bleeding,  who  feel  that  a  part  of 
your  own  life  has  been  taken  from  you,  and  that  your 
earthly  home  must  henceforth  be  desolate,  look  not  down 
into  the  cold,  dark  grave,  thinking  only  of  your  loss,  and 
refusing  to  be  comforted:  Look  up,  rather,  iothe  bright 
world  where  your  children  rejoice  in  light  and  joy 
unspeakable.  Hear  them  sing  the  songs  of  Paradise  ! 
See  their  heads  all  crowned  with  glory  and  honor  !  Re- 
joice with  them,  sing  with  them,  and  praise  God  with 
them  for  His  infinite  goodness  in  taking  them  from  the 
evil  to  come. 

"  I  look  around   and  see 

The  evil  ways  of  men ; 
And  O!  beloved  child, 
I'm  more  than  reconciled 

To  thy  departure  then. 

"  The  little  hands  that  clasped  me, 
The  innocent  lips  that  pressed, 

Would  they  have  been  as  pure 

Till  now,  as  when  of  yore, 
I  lulled  thee  on  my  breast  ?  " 

Right  here,  in  connection  with  this,  it  may  be  well  for 
us  to  read  another  blessed  revelation  of  our  Father's 
will,  such  as  this:  ((  He  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  or 
grieve  the  children  of  men;"  or  this  :  "  Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest,"  or  the  last,  grand  invitation,  "Whosoever  will 


7()  "  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

him  let  him  come  and  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely.3' 
Read  all  these  promises  of  pardon,  justification,  adop- 
tion, peace  and  Heaven.  Read  of  the  things  which  "eye 
hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man."  Read  of  the  place,  the  people, 
the  employments,  the  enjoyments,  the  perfection  and 
the  glory  of  the  eternal  world,  and  then  tell  me  if 
our  Father's  will  is  not  good  and  favorable,  grand  and 
glorious,  beyond  the  power  of  mind  to  think,  or  tongue 
to  express. 

O  !  blessed  will !  O  !  glorious  will !  How  would  the 
darkness  of  this  earth  be  scattered,  and  the  sorrow  of 
this  earth  be  healed,  if  in  the  hearts  and  homes  of  men 
this  will  were  known  and  loved! 

' '  I  worship  Thee  sweet  will  of  God, 

And  all  Thy  ways  adore, 
And  every  day  I  live,  I  learn 

To  love  Thee  more  and  more." 


II. 


To  do  the  will  of  God  involves  acquiescence,  simple, 
loyal,  trustful  acquiescence.  This  grace  is  often  mis- 
taken for  simple  submission .  ' '  Was  your  wife  resigned  ?' ' 
said  a  believer  to  his  friend,  whose  wife  had  recently 
been  called  away.  "Of  course,  she  was;  she  had  to 
be,"  was  the  answer.  That  was  his  idea  of  resignation. 


tc  Quit  FATHER'S   WILL."  77 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  our  situation,"  said  a  young- 
wife  to  her  husband,  "  and  I  am  determined  to  be  sub- 
missive." They  had  lost  their  only  child  ;  the  husband 
had  been  obliged  to  resign  his  pastoral  charge  on  account 
of  i  1  health,  and  the  wife  had  temporarily  lost  the  use  of 
her  eyes.  The  case  seemed  hard,  and  it  appeared  a  tri- 
umph even  to  submit.  But  the  husband  replied,  "  let 
us  see  what  we  have  to  submit  to.  I  will  make  a  list  of 
our  trials.  First,  we  have  a  home  ;  we  will  submit  to 
that.  Secondly,  we  have  the  comforts  of  life  ;  we, will 
submit  to  that.  Thirdly,  we  have  each  other.  Fourthly, 
we  have  a  multitude  of  friends.  Fifthly,  we  have  a  God 
to  take  care  of  us.v  "  Stop,  stop/'  said  the  wife,  "I 
will  say  no  more  about  submission/'  Add  to  your  sub- 
mission, faith;  to  faith,  hope;  and  to  hope,  joy;  and  then 
you  have  a  resignation  or  an  acquiescence  in  the  will  of 
God,  similar  to  that  of  our  Lord  himself.  See  Him  as 
He  comes,  saying,  "  Lo,  I  come,  I  delight  to  do  Thy 
will,  O!  God."  See  Him  as  He  lays  aside  the  riches, 
honors,  and  glories  of  Heaven,  and  becomes  poor  for  us. 
See  Him  as  a  poor  man,  a  day  laborer.  See  Him  hungry, 
thirsty,  and  without  where  to  lay  His  head.  See  Him 
despised,  rejected,  spit  upon  and  buffeted.  See  Him  in 
Gethsemane,  and  reji3:nb3L'  thit  in  all  this  there  was 
not  resignation  simply,  but  joyous  acquiescence. 

The  first  step  towards  this  acquiescence  is  submission. 
The  human  will  is  a  fortress,  surrounded  with  intrench- 


78  "  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

ments,  walls,  ditches,  and  fortifications  innumerable. 
The  work  of  the  sinner  before  conversion  is  a  work  of 
constant  resistance  until  this  fortress  is~  taken.  "  God 
did  a  part,  and  I  did  a  part/'  said  a  man  in  relating  his 
experience.  "  Well,  and  what  did  you  do?"  said  a 
friend.  "  Why,  I  resisted  .and  fought  against  Him  with 
all  my  might,  and  He  did  the  rest,"  was  the  reply. 
This  dreadful  resistance  of  the  will  of  man  to  the  will  of 
God,  the  human  will  to  the  divine,  is  dangerous  work. 
Angels,  the  rebel  angels,  dared  to  resist  God's  will,  and 
Peter  tells  us  the  result.  God  "spared  not  the  angels  that 
sinned,  but  cast  them  down  to  hell,  and  delivered'  them 
into  chains  of  darkness,  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment.'' 
Our  first  parents  resisted  His  will,  and  the  result  we 
know  to  our  sorrow.  Out  of  their  Eden,  out  of  their 
happy  home,  they  were  driven  into  a  wilderness  of  sorrow, 
regret  and  despair.  Pharaoh  defied  the  power  of  the 
Almighty,  placed  himself  in  direct  opposition  and  resist- 
ance to  His  will,  and  the  result  was  a  most  terrible 
overthrow  and  ruin.  Sennacherib  defied  the  armies  of 
the  living  God,  and  tried  to  hinder  the  accomplishment 
of  His  will,  and  the  destruction  of  his  host  gave  another 
demonstration  of  the  sin  and  folly  of  such  unequal 
warfare.  Examples  of  the  guilt  and  danger  of  such  resist- 
ance are  innumerable.  The  dying  Altamont  exclaimed, 
CCI  have  been  too  strong  for  Omnipotence!  I  plucked 
down  ruin  !  Hold  !  hold  !  you  wound  me!  This  is  the 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL."  Ytf 

rock  on  which  I  split — I  denied  His  name.  O  !  time  ! 
time  !  it  is  fit  thou  shouldst  thus  strike  thy  murderer  to 
the  heart.  How  art  thou  fled  forever  !  A  month!  O!  for 
a  single  week  !  I  ask  not  for  years,  though  an  age  were 
too  little  for  the  much  I  have  to  do." 

And  now  let  us  turn  to  something  brighter:  The 
blessedness  of  those  who  do  His  will,  or  seek  to  do  it,  as 
it  is  done  in  Heaven.  The  secret  of  all  genuine  success 
in  life  is  found  just  here,  in  the  language  of  our  text, 
tc  Thy  will  be  done."  "  This  i«  the  will  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification,"  says  the  apostle,  and  sanctification 
means  holiness,  happiness,  Heaven.  God  wills  your 
eternal  salvation.  This  is  the  single  scope  of  all 
His  plans,  and  the  grand,  leading,  guiding  purpose  of 
all  the  dispensations  of  His  providence  and  grace.  Put 
your  soul  in  His  hand,  as  you  put  your  body  in  the 
hands  of  a  skillful,  kind  physician,  and  though  He  may 
give  you  bitter  pills  and  loathsome  potions,  cross  your 
will,  deny  you  many  sweetmeats,  and  appoint  strict  diet, 
active,  laborious  exercise,  and  total  abstinence  from  all 
intoxicants — yea,  though  He  may  apply  plasters,  and 
corrosives,  the  lance  or  the  knife,  the  result  will  be 
life,  health,  and  joy  e'ernal. 

Hear  the  experience  of  a  happy  young  convert  :  "I 
have  been  in  great  trouble,  but  1  am  happy  now.  I  saw 
an  immense  mountain,  with  precipitous  sides,  up  which 
I  endeavored  to  climb  ;  but  when  I  had  attained  a  con- 


80  "OUR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

siderable  height,  I  lost  my  hold  and  fell  to 'the  bottom. 
Exhausted  with  perplexity  and  fatigue,  I  went  to  a  dis- 
tance and  sat  down  to  weep,  and  while  weeping  I  saw  a 
drop  of  blood  fall  on  the  mountain,  and  in  a  moment  it 
was  dissolved  and  washed  away." 

Trying  to  win  salvation  in  our  own  way,  and  accord- 
ing to  our  own  will,  is  like  trying  to  climb  straight  up 
the  side  of  an  impassable  mountain.  It  is  all  labor  in 
vain — taking  mu?h  pains  to  no  j.urpo^e.  Give  up  this 
vain  effort  and  say,  "Thy  will,  not  mine  be  done/'  and 
the  mountain  is  removed,  and  the  way  is  plain  and 
simple.  Look  at  the  standard,  "  as  it  is  done  in  Heaven." 
"  What  is  to  be  done?"  said  a  Sunday  school  teacher 
to  his  class  ;  and  the  answer  came,  "  The  will  of  God." 
"  And  where  ?"  "  On  earth."  "  And  how  ?"  "  As  it 
is  in  Heaven."  "  And  how  do  you  think  the  angels  and 
happy  spirits  do  the  will  of  God  in  Heaven?"  The 
first  child  said,  "  immediately  ;  "  the  second,  "  they  do 
it  diligently;"  the  third,  "they  do  it  always;"  the 
fourth,  "with  all  their  hearts,"  and  the  fifth,  "  they  do 
it  all  together."  Here  a  pause  ensued,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  answers  were  all  in,  and  the  subject  exhausted. 
But  at  length  a  timid  little  girl  arose  and  said,  "  why, 
sir,  they  do  it  without  asking  any  questions."  Imme- 
diately ;  diligently  ;  always  ;  heartily  ;  all  together  ;  and 
without  asking  any  questions. 

This  is  the  divine  standard— the  standard  of  Heaven  ; 


"OuR  FATHER'S  WILL."  HI 

and  the  all-controlling  power  by  which  the  angels  reach 
this  standard,  is  the  power  of  love.  Love  does  not 
grumble.  Love  does  not  seek  for  spots  and  blemishes, 
and  imperfections  in  the  character  of  God,  or  the  will 
of  God.  Love  is  not  selfish,  blind,  or  bigoted.  Love 
"seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no 
evil,  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all 
things,  endureth  all  things."  All  things  are  against  her 
in  this  world,  but  she  endures,  conquers,  and  overcomes 
them  all.  Love  does  not  give  as  if  she  was  giving  up 
the  ghost — she  gives  liberally,  "good  measure,  pressed 
down  and  shaken  together,  and  running  over,"  breaking 
the  'alabaster  box  and  pouring  forth  the  ointment,  even 
as  the  Lord  himself  poured  forth  His  blood  for  the  life 
of  the  world. 

Many  do  Good's  will  because  they  are  obliged  to  ; 
because  salvation  hangs  upon  it,  or  because  they  fear  the 
horrors  of  an  eternal  hell  if  they  refuse,  and  resist  His 
will.  They  say  in  their  hearts,  "  This  religion  is  very 
expensive.  It  deprives  me  of  a  great  deal  of  pleasure, 
and  costs  a  great  deal  of  time,  labor  and  money  ;  but  I 
must  hold  on — I  must  hold  on,  for  there's  no  other  way. 
If  I  hadn't  joined  the  church,  and  taken  the  vows  of 
God  upon  me,  I  might  have  gone  to  the  ball-room, 
the  theater,  or  to  other  places  of  amusement,  and  nobody 
would  have  said  anything;  but  now  I  am  watched  by 
the  church,  and  watched  by  the  world,  and  in  hot  water 


82  .  "OuR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

all  the  time.  But,  then,  it's  the  only  way  ;  I  must  fol- 
low on,  and  go  to  church  occasionally,  just  enough  to 
keep  up  my  connection,  for  if  I  should  give  up  alto- 
gether, I  should  lose  my  hope  of  Heaven."  O!  that  they 
were  wise !  O !  that  they  could  know  the  great  secret  of 
living  by  faith,  walking  by  faith,  and  working  by  faith. 
O !  that  they  might  realize  the  blessedness  of  losing  ones 
own  will  in  the  loving  will  of  God,  the  love  and  joy 
unspeakable  which  flow  into  the  hearts  of  those  whom 
He  makes  willing  in  the  day  of  His  power. 

Ask  of  the  flowers  what  they  are  doing,  and  they  will 
tell  you,  "  Thewrill  of  God."  Is  it  a  sad  thing,  a  gloomy 
thing,  for  them  to  come  up  out  of  the  cold,  damp  earth, 
and  out  of  the  cold,  dead,  dormant  state  in  which  they 
have  been  lying  all  winter,  and  unfold  their  leaves  and 
petals  in  the  soft,  warm  summer  air  ? 

Ask  of  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  or  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
whnt  they  are  doing,  and  they  will  tell  you,  ((  The  will 
of  God."  Is  it  hard  for  them  to  fulfil  the  law  of  their 
being,  and  to  live  and  move  in  the  element  which  God 
has  created  for  them,  and  would  they  be  happy  out  of 
that  element  ? 

Ask  of  the  stars, 

"  Fcrever  singing  as  they  shine, 
The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine,  " 

what  they  are  doing,  and  they  will  tell  you,  "  The  will 
of  God." 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  WILL."  83 

Go  thus  throughout  the  universe,  and  outside  of  earth, 
and  hell,  men  and  devils,  where  can  you  find  a  creature, 
rational  or  irrational,  which  is  not  doing  the  will  of  God, 
and  in  so  doing  finding  its  highest  happiness.  I  beseech 
you  then,  as  you  love  your  soul,  and  desire  its  salvation, 
first  of  all  to  give  up  your  own  will.  It  is  selfish,  blind, 
evil,  and  only  evil,  and  it  must  be  surrendered,  must  be  given 
up.  Yield  the  fortress  ;  abandon  it  forever  ;  make  the 
surrender  complete.  Say  not  "I  will  follow  Thee,  but,  or 
I  will  follow  Thee,  if."  God  wants  a  a  unconditional  sur- 
render of  heart  and  life  to  Him.  Take  your  mind  and  let 
Him  fill  it  with  truth,  the  everlasting  truth  of  God's  eternal 
word.  Correct  your  estimates  of  things  divine.  Get 
right  views  of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of  Heaven.  Think, 
reflect,  reason.  Go  over  the  whole  subject  of  religion. 
Examine  well  all  the  evidences,  all  the  grounds  of  the 
Christian  faith.  Think  of  all  the  promises  and  threaten- 
ings  which  hang  upon  God's  everlasting  will,  and 
remember  that  "  God  is  not  a  man,  that  He  should  lie, 
neither  the  son  of  man,  that  He  should  repent." 

Then  take  your  heart,  and  let  Him  fill  it  so  full 
of  love  divine,  that  there  shall  be  no  room  for  evil  affec- 
tions. Go  to  the  everlasting  throne  and  seek  the  fire 
of  the  Spirit,  to  kindle  the  flame  of  pure  devotion,  and 
swell  the  tide  of  love  !  Pray  !  Pray  !  Pray  because  God 
wills  that  you  should  pray.  Pray  because  the  Spirit 
prompts  you  to  pray.  Pray  because  the  noblest  aspira- 


84  "OuR  FATHER'S  WILL." 

tions  of  your  nature  are  choked  and  smothered,  when  you 
refuse  to  pray.  Pray,  because  you  are  not  a  stock  or  a 
stone,  or  a  dull,  insensate  clod,  but  a  free,  intelligent, 
rational  and  immortal  being,  with  powers  angelic  and 
divine.  Pray,  because  the  neglect  of  prayer  is  unnatural 
and  sinful,  a  contempt  of  God  and  a  degradation  of  your 
own  nature.  And  in  all  your  prayers  remember  the 
model :  Thy  name,  Thy  kingdom,  "Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven." 


V. 


OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD. 


Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." — MATT,    vi :  11. 


OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD." 


"  All  these  mouths  we  cannot  feed, 

And  we  cannot  clothe  these  bodies." 
Well,  if  man's  so  hard  indeed, 

Let  them  learn  at  least  what  God  is ! 
If  no  better  can  be  clone,  » 

Let  us  do  but  this — endeavor 
That  the  Sun  behind  the  sun 

Shine  upon  them  while  they  shiver." 
From  Mrs.  Browning1  s  «  Song  for  the  Ragged  Schools." 


Our  daily  bread  is  the  gift  of  God.  No  truth  is  more 
clearly  revealed  than  this,  and  there  is  none  which  men  are 
more  liable  to  forget.  Some  depend  upon  their  physical 
strength.  "My  wife  trusts  in  God/'  said  an  unbeliever, 
<cbut  I  trust  in  these/'  holding  up  his  strong  hands. 
Others  depend  upon  their  skill,  their  ability  to  make 
money.  Others  still  upon  their  wealth,  looking  proudly 
upon  their  great  possessions. 

God  says  to  such  "Beware  lest  thou  say  in  thine 
heart,  m/y  power,  and  the  might  of  mine  hand,  hath 
gotten  me  this  wealth.  But  thou  shalt  remember  the 
Lord  thy  Gody  for  He  it  is  that  giveth  thee  power  to  get 
wealth." 


88  <cOuR  FATHER'S  BREAD." 

Our  text  directs  us  above  all  second  causes,  and 
teaches  us  to  look  to  the  "  Father  of  our  spirits,  and 
former  of  our  bodies/'  as  the  author  of  all  our  mercies, 
temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  "  Every  good  gift,  and 
every  perfect  gift,  is  from  above,  and  cometh  down  from 
the  Father  of  Lights."  "He  causeth  His  sun  to  rise 
upon  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  upon  the 
just  and  upon  the  unjust."  "  He  causeth  the  grass  to 
grow  for  the  cattle,  and  the  herbs  for  the  service  of 
man."  " These  all  wait  upon  Ih^e.  Thou  openest  Thine 
hand,  they  are  filled  with  good.  Thou  visitest  the  earth 
and  waterest  it;  Thou  makest  it  soft  with  showers;  Thou 
cro wriest  the  year  with  thy  goodness,  and  thy  paths  drop 
fatness/'  These,  and  many  other  passages  of  Scripture 
teach  us  that  our  bread  comes  not  from  the  baker,  the 
miller,  the  farmer,  the  ground,  or  any  other  earthly 
source,  but  from  God. 

Let  us  use  this  petition 
I.     In  its  literal  sense  ; 
II.     In  its  spiritual  sense  ;  and 

III.    Notice  some  limitations  or  restrictions. 

I. 

Our  Lord  here  teaches  us  to  pray  for  material  bless- 
ings, for  the  supply  of  all  our  temporal  wants. 

We  are  to  pray  for  bread,  our  daily  bread;  not  to  demand 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD."  89 

but  pray  for  it.  We  are  to  recognize  God  as  the  author 
of  our  physical,  as  well  as  our  spiritual  life.  He  is  the 
"  God  that  made  the  world  and  all  things." 

First,  we  are  to  seek  His  glory,  then  the  satisfaction  of 
our  wants.  One  of  the  marks  of  anti-Christ  is  the  neglect 
of  the  human  and  the  material.  It  is  a  religion  for 
monks,  priests,  hermits,  nuns,  and  not  for  toiling, 
suffering  men,  women  and  children.  In  this  world  body 
and  soul  are  united.  As  the  body  cannot  work  well 
when  the  mind  is  depressed,  so  the  mind  cannot  work 
easily  and  freely  when  the  body  is  sick,  inflamed,  drowsy 
or  exhausted.  God  recognizes  this  fact,  and  so  provides 
for  the  body.  In  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  we  read 
that  God  provided  the  cereals,  corn,  wheat,  barley,  rice, 
etc.,  as  a  special  gift  for  man — a  special  provision  for  the 
wants  of  his  physical  nature.  "Behold,"  He  says,  "  I 
have  given  you  every  herb  bearing  seed." 

There  is  no  trace  of  the  cereals  in  all  the  geological 
periods,  until  we  come  to  the  human  epoch.  Man's 
table  was  spread,  and  his  food  prepared  and  ready  for  him, 
when  he  came.  In  some  form  or  other,  this  gift  of  God 
may  be  found  in  every  portion  of  the  habitable  globe: 
rice  in  the  tropics,  wheat  in  the  temperate  zone,  corn  in 
our  own  land,  and  rye,  oats  and  barley  in  the  colder 
climates.  "Verily  thou  ahalt  be  fed,"  is  a  promise  which 
never  fails,  when  the  conditions  of  the  promise  are 
fulfilled.  "  While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed  time  and 


90  "OuR  FATHER'S  BREAD." 

harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and  su.umer  and  winter,  and 
day  and  night  shall  not  cease."  "  The  young  lions  do 
lack  and  suffer  hunger,  but  they  that  seek  the  Lord, 
shall  not  want  any  good  thing." 

There  is  nothing  more  noticeable  in  the  life  of  our 
Lord,  than  His  tender  care,  and  thoughtful  provision 
for  all  the  temporal  wants  of  His  people.  He  is  the 
same  to-day,  the  same  in  His  love,  His  care,  and  power 
to  save.  His  triumph  over  death  and  hell,  His  resur- 
r-ection  and  ascension,  have  only  changed  His  position, 
adding  boundless  power  to  His  boundless  love. 

II. 

But  we  do  not  see  the  teauty  or  force  of  this  petition, 
until  we  use  it  spiritually  and  figuratively. 

When  the  infidel  astromoner  looks  into  the  heavens, 
he  beholds  nothing  but  masses  of  dull,  dead,  insensate 
matter.  He  can  see  nature,  but  the  Lord  of  nature  he 
cannot  see.  He  can  see  the  glory  and  beauty  of  the 
material,  in  the  heavens  above,  and  in  the  earth  beneath, 
in  the  harmony  of  rolling  worlds,  in  planets,  comets, 
suns  and  systems,  but  the  glory  of  the  spiritual  is 
forever  hidden  from  him.  He  knows  something  of 
the  magnitude  of  these  bright,  shining  orbs  of  light, 
which  glitter  far  away  in  the  blue  ether,  their  number, 
their  peculiar  nature  and  splendor,  the  velocity  with 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD."  91 

which  they  move,  their  annual  and  diurnal  motions,  but 
of  the  living  persons  who  dwell  therein,  he  knows  noth- 
ing. To  the  simple-minded  believer  these  rolling  orbs 
are  palaces  of  pure  delight,  the  abodes  of  innocence  and 
purity,  peopled  with  intelligences  as  loyal  to  God  as  the 
worlds  which  the^  inhabit,  to  the  suns  around  which 
they  revolve.  And  sometimes  when  the  lights  are  out, 
and  the  streets  are  empty,  and  the  din  of  the  world  is 
hushed,  when  He  iven  is  nearest,  and  the  world  is 
farthest,  he  hears  angelic  voices  such  as  John  heard  on 
the  isle  of  Patmos,  or  the  shepherds  as  they  watched 
their  nocks  on  the  first  glad  Christmas  eve.  He  may 
know  less  of  their  physical  structure,  but  his  interest 
is  vastly  greater,  for  in  them  he  sees  the  mansions 
of  his  Father's  house,  where  dwell  his  brethren  and 
sisters,  the  loved  ones  who  have  gone  before,  the  minis- 
tering spirits  to  whom  ha  is  bound  by  the  strongest  ties 
of  nature  and  affection;  and  in  one  of  these  worlds  is  the 
glorified  body  of  his  Lord,  the  "friend  who  sticketh  closer 
than  a  brother,"  dearer  to  him  than  life,  to  whom  he  is 
united,  and  from  whom  he  receives  all  nee  led  blessings. 
So  the  unbeliever  may  see  in  this  petition  a  simple 
desire  for  bread,  corruptible  bread— the  bread  that 
perishes,  and  nothing  more.  He  has  no  relish  for  spirit- 
ual food.  His  higher  nature  has  not  been  quickened 
and  made  alive  by  the  Spirit,  and  hence  he  has  n  >  hun- 
gering and  thirsting  after  righteousness,  no  deep  and 


92  "  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD." 

abiding  consciousness  of  his  poverty  and  want,  no  earn- 
est longing  of  the  heart  for  Christ.  He  is  conscious  at 
times  that  there  is  something  wanting,  for  there  is  a 
void  or  vacuum  in  his  nature  which  he  cannot  fill  with 
husks,  but  he  knows  not  that  the  one  thing  needful  is 
the  bread  of  Heaven. 

Two  men  were  once  arguing  about  immortality  :  Mr. 
A.  trying  to  convince  Mr.  B.  that  there  was  such  a  thing, 
and  Mr.  B.  not  being  able  to  believe  it.  At  last,  after  a 
long  conversation,  Mr.  B.  took  his  hat  and  departed- 
Mr.  A.,  sat  in  his  chair,  thinking,  and  at  last  fell  asleep. 
He  dreamed  that  he  was  walking  in  the  Mammoth  Cave, 
tumbling  along  through  its  avenues  and  recesses,  until 
he  came  to  a  river.  Here  two  little  fishes  put  up  their 
heads,  and  said  :  "Mr.  A.,  Mr.  A.,  do  you  really  believe 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  sunlight ?  We  hear  those  who 
go  through  this  cave  talking  about  sunlight,  but  we  do 
not  believe  in  it."  So  Mr.  A.  stopped  and  argued  with 
them,  quoted  all  authorities  on  optics,  expounded  the 
laws  of  refraction,  and  reflection,  and  even  pulled  a 
prism  from  his  pocket  to  explain  the  prismatic  rays. 
«  Why/'  said  he,  "  without  light  how  could  we  do  any- 
thing?) How  could  we  read,  or  work,  or  play,  or  distin- 
guish the  colors  and  forms  of  flowers,  or  the  faces  of  our 
friends — and  of  what  use  would  our  eyes  be?"  "  But 
we  haven't  any  eyes,"  said  the  two  little  fishes.  And  so 
to  be  sure  it  was ;  they  had  no  eyes. 


"Qua  FATHER'S  BREAD/'  93 

How  can  a  man  who  was  born  blini,  and  whose  eyes 
have  never  been  opened,  get  a  correct  idea  of  sunlight? 
And  how  can  an  unbeliever  get  a  correct  idea  of  spiritual 
bread,  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from  Heaven  ? 

To  the  genuine  believer,  however,  this  word  bread  is 
most  wonderfully  comprehensive  and  expressive.  It 
speaks  of  Jesus  as  a  soul-satisfying  Savior;  for  as  bread 
is  what  a  man  wants  when  he  is  hungry,  instead  of  lux- 
uries, dainties,  and  sweetmeats,  so  Jesus,  and  Jesus  only, 
can  satisfy  a  soul  when  awakened  and  convicted.  He 
satisfies  the  intellect  by  answering  questions  which  phi- 
losophers of  old,  and  men  of  all  ages,  have  tried  in 
vain  to  solve.  He  satisfies  the  conscience  by  making  an 
atonement  for  our  sin,  and  He  satisfies  the  heart  by 
giving  in  His  person,  and  His  work,  all,  and  more 
than  all  that  men  or  angels  ever  have  conceived  in  their 
highest  flights  of  thought,  their  profoundest  research,  or 
broadest  range  of  inquiry,  as  a  full,  complete,  and  per- 
fect expression  of  the  love  of  God  to  man. 

It  is  said  that  the  tail  of  a  comet  is  so  light  and  unsub- 
stantial, that  a  thousand  square  miles  of  it  may  be  com- 
pressed into  a  single  square  inch.  Just  so  light,  empty 
and  airy,  are  the  beautiful  theories  of  men.  You  might 
as  well  attempt  to  satisfy  a  hungry  lion  with  a  single 
drop  of  blood  drawn  from  your  finger  with  a  needle,  as 
to  try  to  satisfy  a  soul,  an  immortal  soul,  when  once 
thoroughly  awakened  to  a  sense  of  its  need,  with  human. 
opinions  and  speculations. 


94  ' '  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD. " 

"None  but  Christ  to  me  be  given, 
None  but  Christ  in  earth  or  Heaven," 

is  the  universal  cry  of  souls  whose  real  wants  have  been 
revealed. 

Again,  bread  speaks  of  Christ  as  a  life-giving  Savior. 
There  is  a  universal  desire  for  stimulants — something  to 
intoxicate,  or  excite.  Four  hundred  millions  of  our 
race  are  opium  eaters.  One  hundred  millions  victims  of 
the  betel  nut,  which  has  accursed  the  East  Indies.  Three 
hundred  millions  chew  hashish,  in  Persia,  Brazil,  and 
Africa.  The  Mexicans  use  agave,  and  the  people  of 
Guerapa  something  intoxicating  from  the  sugar  cane, 
while  millions  in  our  own  land,  and  other  lands,  use  the 
most  deadly  and  destructive  of  all  stimulants,  the  hot, 
fiery,  flesh-poisoning,  mind-blasting,  soul-destroying 
alcohol.  Whence  comes  this  strange,  unnatural  thirst, 
this  universal  desire  for  something  to  excite  and  vivify? 
A  thousand  causes  may  be  mentioned.  But  back  of  all  is 
the  sense  of  emptiness,  and  restlessness,  and  universal 
heart-hunger,  which  comes  from  the  loss  of  God,  the  loss 
of  the  Spirit. 

Every  kind  of  life  has  its  appropriate  element,  or  living 
principle,  on  which  it  feeds,  and  from  which  it  draws  its 
sustenance.  Take  away  that  element,  or  principle,  and 
what  is  left?  Take  away  the  great  life-principle  of  the 
human  body,  which  glistens  in  the  eye,  glows  in  the 
face,  whispers  or  thunders  in  the  voice,  leaps  in  the 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD."  05 

pulse,  rages  in  the  tumult  of  passion,  and  smiles  on  the 
peaceful  sea  when  the  storm  is  over,  and  what  is  the 
result?  A  breaking  down  of  all  the  physical  faculties,  a 
collapse  of  all  the  physical  powers.  So  when  the  great 
life-principle  of  the  soul  is  wanting,  when  the  glory  of 
7iian  has  departed,  the  temple  is  left  in  ruins,  and  the 
life  of  man  is  but  a  living  death — full  of  all  manner  of 
unnatural  longings,  and  corrupt  desires. 

This  bread  of  Heaven  removes  all  these  unnatural 
cravings,  by  giving  us  new  life.  Union  to  Christ,  or 
communion  with  Christ,  brings  everlasting  life.  .Reli- 
gion is  life — life  from  the  dead,  life  in  the  midst  of  death, 
and  when  this  life  comes  into  a  soul,  and  its  strong, 
deep,  mighty  current  fills,  and  moves,  expands  and  en- 
nobles all  its  powers,  all  low,  vile  passions,  all  sensual 
and  devilish  passions  are  expelled.  Pour  water  into  a 
vessel  which  contains  nothing  but  air,  and  the  air  is 
expelled.  Pour  in  melted  lead,  and  the  water  is  ex- 
pelled. So  when  the  blessed  Spirit  pours  into  our 
hearts  the  great,  deep,  precious  truths  respecting  Christ 
and  His  salvation,  all  light  and  frothy  views  and  feelings 
are  expelled,  tcold  things  pass  away,  and  all  things 
become  new." 

He  who  has  this  life, — this  everlasting  life,  needs  no 
other  stimulant.  He  is  a  new  man,  new  in  every  part  of 
his  complex  being,  raised  to  a  higher  plane,  moving  in 
a  purer  element,  and  clothed  with  all  the  strength, 


96  "OtiR  FATHER'S  BREAD/' 

majesty,  and  glorious  beauty  of  the  perfect  life  of  God. 
He  has  new  thoughts,  new  feelings,  new  purposes  for 
action,  and  a  new  love-nature. 

He  has  burst  forth  from  the  chrysalis  state,  and  just 
begun  to  think  and  feel  like  a  living  man .  He  has  learned 
the  great  secret  of  living  by  faith.  Opening  communica- 
tion with  Heaven,  feeding  by  faith  upon  this  heavenly 
manna,  he  is  ennobled  and  exalted  by  the  all-pervading, 
and  all-animating  Spirit  of  the  living  God.  By  a  divine 
and  heavenly  impulse,  a  power  above  his  own,  he  is  lifted 
out  of  the  deep,  impassable  ruts  of  sinful  habit  into 
which  he  had  fallen,  into  a  higher  and  a  better  life, 
feeble  in  its  beginnings,  but  brightening  and  expanding 
to  everlasting  day. 

As  bread  is  one  of  the  common  gifts  of  God,  within 
reach  of  all  classes,  and  congenial  to  all  appetites,  so  the 
bread  of  Heaven  is  adapted  to  all  classes,  grades 
and  ranks  of  society.  No  man,  or  class  of  men,  can 
monopolize  it.  "  Christ  died  for  all."  "  By  the  grace 
of  God,  He  tasted  death  for  every  man."  "  The  Spirit 
and  the  Bride  say  come,  and  whosoever  will  let  him 
come."  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  belie veth  on  Him  might 
not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life." 

Richard  Baxter  declared  that  if  God  had  said  " there 
was  mercy  for  Kichard  Baxter,"  he  would  have  thought 
it  meant  some  other  person  of  the  same  name  ;  but 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD/'  97 

"  whosoever"  meant  himself, — the  wopst  of  all  Richard 
Baxters. 

Martin  Luther  said  that  the  story  of  God's  love  was 
so  good,  that  it  was  fit  to  carry  on  one's  knees  all  the 
way  from  Rome  to  Jerusalem. 

Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen,  and  all  around  the  earth, 
at  home  and  abroad,  in  the  field  and  by  the  way-side, 
through  Hindoo  jungles,  and  Brazilian  groves,  the  ice- 
clad  hills  of  Greenland,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea,  that 
in  our  Father's  house  there  is  bread  enough  and  to 
spare. 

III. 

Our,  Father's  bread  must  be  sought  by  the  use  of 
appropriate  means. 

God  gives  liberally,  but  He  does  not  give  without 
discrimination.  No  man  can  sit  still,  and  linger  out  a 
life  of  indolence  and  imbecility,  and  then  expect  the 
blessings  of  Heaven  to  come  to  him.  If  you  would 
have  the  treasures  of  the  deep,  and  the  fruits  of  the 
field,  or  the  gold  and  silver  of  the  mines,  you  must 
seek  them;  and  if  you  would  have  God's  bread,  either 
temporal  or  spiritual,  you  must  fulfill  the  conditions  on 
which  His  bread  is  given.  God  can  feed  His  people 
when  He  pleases,  and  where  He  pleases.  He  can  open 
fountains  in  deserts,  change  stones  to  bread,  or  send 


98  "  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD." 

them  manna  direct  from  Heaven.  But  this  is  not  the 
method  which  He  has  been  pleased  in  general  to  adopt. 
He  has  appointed  certain  times,  and  places,  for  the  dis- 
pensation of  His  bread,  and  he  who  has  the  spirit  of 
adoption  will  have  regard  to  his  Father's  will,  and  seek 
for  bread  in  His  appropriate  way.  He  will  wish  to  be 
where  Christ  is,  and  where  the  Spirit  reigns,  in  his 
Father's  house,  among  his  Father's  children,  and  at  his 
Father's  table.  No  other  place,  however  attractive,  can 
ever  satisfy  him,  for  no  other  place  has  such  associations, 
so  perfectly  in  harmony  with  his  inner  life  and  feelings. 
He,  then,  who  on  some  bright,  beautiful  Sabbath 
morning,  offers  this  petition ,  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread,"  and  then  instead  of  going  to  the  house  of  God, 
roams  forth  to  find  his  own  pleasure,  and  do  his  own 
works,  makes  the  fulfillment  of  God's  promise  of  bread 
to  him  impossible.  "Give  us  this  day,"  suggests  also 
our  daily  dependence. 

"  Day  by  day  the  manna  fell ; 
Oh,  to  learn  this  lesson  well  ! 
Still  by  constant  mercy  fed, 
Give  us,  Lord  !  our  daily  bread." 

We  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth,  and  as  we 
look  into  the  future,  doubt  and  distrust  bring  terrible 
forebodings,  and  we  draw  back  from  the  work  assigned 
us,  demanding  strength  for  the  whole  journey  before  we 
are  willing  to  attempt  the  duties  of  to-day.  But  the 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  BREAD."  09 

future  is  wisely  hidden  from  us.  Our  Father  holds  the 
loaf  in  His  own  hand.  He  gives  us  bread  ;  just  what 
we  need,  and  when  we  need  it. 

Is  the  present  a  day  of  temptation,  a  day  of  suffering, 
or  a  day  of  active  service  ?  Then  remember  the  promise, 
"As  thy  days  so  shall  thy  strength  be. "  Day  by  day 
bread  shall  be  given  you.  Day  by  day  your  path  will 
brighten,  until  at  length  the  perfect  day  shall  come,  the 
day  which  to  the  believer  is  better  than  the  birth-day, 
better  than  the  wedding-day,  the  glorious  day  of  victory 
and  coronation,  when  you  shall  "  hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more,"  when 

"  You  shall  see,  and  hear,  and  know 
All  that  your  soul  desired  below; 
And  every  power  find  sweet  employ, 
In  that  eternal  world  of  joy." 


VI. 


OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS. 


"Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors." — 
MATT,  vi  :  12. 


"OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 


11  We  stand  in  deep  repentance 

Before  Thy  throne  of  love ; 
O  God  of  grace  forgive  us; 

The  stain  of  guilt  remove.  , 

Behold  us  while  with  weeping 

We  lift  our  eyes  to  Thee  ; 
And  all  our  sins  subduing, 

Our  Father,  set  us  free." 

Ray  Palmer. 

This  petition  breathes  the  spirit  of  genuine  repentance. 

There  is  confession  and  tnut,  filial  fear,  and  fraternal 
love  ;  and  in  each  of  these  exercises  of  mind  and  heart, 
there  are  feelings  and  affections  which  none  but  a  child 
of  God  can  understand. 

It  is  very  easy  to  use  the  first  part  of  this  petition,  very 
difficult  to  add  the  last. 

There  is  no  man  living  who  does  not  wish  to  have  his 
debts  paid,  or  his  sins  forgiven. 

Men  wish  to  be  forgiven,  or  at  least  are  very  willing  to 
be  forgiven,  provided  it  can  be  done  in  a  way  of  their 
own  choosing,  and  in  accordance  with  their  own  ideas  of 
righteousness. 


f<  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  103 

They  can  say  "  Forgive  us,  forgive  us,"  but  the  for- 
giveness which  they  seek  is  very  different  from  that  which 
God  proposes  to  give.  They  ask  God  to  forgive  without 
penitence  or  submission,  or  a  life  of  love  and  trust. 

They  ask  Him  to  cancel  all  their  debts,  and  still 
permit  them  to  go  on  in  sin,  squandering  His  gifts  with 
reckless  profusion,  regardless  of  all  obligations,  and 
heaping  up  a  greater  and  still  greater  debt. 

Our  text  asks  God  to  forgive  as  we  forgive  :•  not  as  a 
tyrant  forgives,  not  as  the  selfish,  sordid,  miserly  and 
unmerciful  sons  of  earth  forgive,  but  as  we  forgive,  we 
who  are  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  we  whose  hearts 
are  renewed  and  softened  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  to 
whom  all  hard  and  unforgiving  thoughts  are  as  unnatural 
as  they  are  sinful. 

In  the  mouth  of  a  self-righteous  man,  these  words  are 
utterly  out  of  place.  Why  should  he  ask  for  pardon, 
when  his  life  is  perfect  ?  What  need  has  he  of  forgive- 
ness when  he  has  no  sin  ? 

In  the  mouth  of  a  selfish  and  unmerciful  man,  these 
words  are  blasphemous.  He  asks  God  to  exercise 
towards  him  the  same  unkind,  illiberal  and  unforgiving 
spirit  which  he  feels  towards  his  fellow  men.  He  takes 
his  debtor  by  the  throat,  casts  him  into  prison,  declares 
he  shall  not  come  out  till  he  has  paid  the  uttermost 
farthing,  and  then  dares  to  go  into  the  presence  of  God 
and  say,  " Forgive  as  I  forgive."  What  blasphemy! 


104  "  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

May  God  deliver  us  from  such  a  spirit,  and  from  the 
terrible  results  of  a  wrong  use  of  these  words ! 

In  the  mouth  of  a  penitent  sinner  (which  is  the  best 
definition  of  a  true  believer,)  these  words  are  a  prayer 
for  pardon,  peace,  and  eternal  life,  not  only  for  himself, 
but  fo»r  all  who  possess  a  similar  spirit,  and  are  therefore 
in  a  condition  which  makes  it  proper  for  our  Heavenly 
Father  to  bestow  such  blessings. 

Using  this  petition  as  a  model,  as  the  natural   expres- 
sion of  a  penitent  sinner's  hearf ,  we  may  notice  — 
I.     Our  confession ; 

II.      Our  plea ; 

III.  The  standard  here  suggested,  by  which  we  may 
determine  the  genuineness  of  our  repentance . 


I. 


Our  confession. 

Whenever  we  come  to  God,  the  confession  of  sin  must 
form  a  prominent  part  of  our  worship.  He  who  comes 
without  confession,  is  like  the  proud,  self-righteous 
Pharisee,  utterly  ignorant  of  his  own  heart,  and  living 
in  a  state  of  self-deception. 

The  man  who  says,  "I  never  use  this  petition,  never 
make  confession  of  sin,  because  I  never  sin,"  sits  in 
judgment  on  the  Son  of  God,  and  charges  Him  with 


ff  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  105 

having  made  a  grievous  blunder  when  He  gave  this 
model  prayer  for  the  use  of  His  disciples. 

In  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  every  male  of  the 
Jews  was  ordered  to  stand  on  a  given  day  in  each  year, 
and  with  a  loud  voice,  declare  these  words:  "  A  Syrian, 
ready  to  perish,  was  my  father  ;"  and  whenever  the 
Hebrew  came  to  the  Tabernacle,  or  Temple,  to  worship, 
he  came  with  an  offering,  an  animal  carefully  chosen, 
without  blemish,  and  of  proper  age,  and  as  he  ap- 
proached the  altar  of  sacrifice,  he  laid  his  hand  upon 
the  head  of  the  offering,  thereby  signifying  confession 
of  sin,  and  acceptance  of  God's  way  of  atonement. 

As  the  victim  fell  under  the  sacrificial  knife,  struggling, 
bleeding,  dying,  the  worshipper  acknowledged  that  he 
himself  deserved  to  die.  He  confessed  his  sin,  his  help- 
lessness, and  his  ill-desert. 

Coming  in  any  other  way,  without  confession,  was 
coming  in  the  way  of  Cain,  the  way  of  the  liar,  the  mur- 
derer, and  the  hypocrite,  the  way  of  unbelief,  of  rebel- 
lion and  defiance. 

So  now,  the  accepted  worshipper  comes  with  the 
consciousness  of  sin,  and  the  confession  of  sin.  The 
language  of  his  heart  is  expressed  in  the  beautiful  hymn 
of  Watts,  which  says: 

"  My  faith  would  lay  her  hand 

On  thctt  dear  head  of  thine: 
While  like  a  penitent  I  stand 

And  there  confess  my  sin." 


!()(>  '    "OuR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS/' 

This  word  "  debts,"  is  one  of  the  many  which  the 
inspired  writers  have  used  to  express  the  number,  the 
magnitude,  and  the  nature  of  our  sins. 

It  is  a  figurative  expression,  representing  sin  as  a  debt. 
According  to  our  catechism,  sin  is  any  "want  of  con- 
formity unto,  or  transgression  of  the  law  of  God." 
The  same  idea  is  expressed  in  the  Bible,  in  these  words  : 
<f  All  unrighteousness  is  sin,"  and  "-sin  is  the  transgres- 
sion of  the  law."  Everything  in  the  universe  is  under 
law.  As  our  bodies  are  under  physical  laws,  so  our  souls 
are  under  spiritual  and  moral  laws.  All  these  laws  are 
condensed  by  our  Lord,  and  expressed  in  these  simple, 
clear,  and  beautiful  words,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself." 

What  could  be  more  reasonable  and  natural !  What 
rhore  unreasonable  and  unnatural  than  its  opposite !  Yet 
where  is  the  man,  woman,  or  child,  who  will  dare  to 
claim  the  fulfilment  of  this  law  ? 

Human  laws  reach  only  the  outward  conduct,  God's 
law  reaches  the  heart. 

Take  this  standard,  this  perfect  standard  of  God's 
spiritual  law;  look  into  this  mirror,  this  mirror  of  the 
Gospel,  and  see  how  it  levels  pride,  and  cuts  up  folly  by 
the  roots. 

See  how  every  mouth  is  stopped,  and  how  hopeless 


((  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  107 

and  helpless  is  the  condition  of  the  man  who  trusts 
to  his  own  righteousness  ! 

See  the  number  of  our  sins — more  than  the  hairs  of 
our  head.  See  the  magnitude  of  our  sins — infinite  upon 
infinite,  infinite  upon  infinite.  No  line  can  fathom  their 
depths,  and  no  created  intelligence  can  fix  the  bounds 
or  limits  of  their  guilt  and  turpitude. 

See  the  evil  nature  of  sin,  and  what  God  thinks  of  it. 
It  is  rebellion,  robbSry,  filthiness,  a  disease,  a  scarlet- 
dyed  stain,  a  leprosy,  loathsome,  infectious,  and  incura- 
ble. It  is  the  sting  of  death.  It  is  the  fire  of  hell — a 
fire  unquenchable.  It  is  a  private  interest  against  the 
public  good.  It  is  the  enemy  of  God  and  man.  It  takes 
the  sceptre  out  of  the  hand  of  God,  and  puts  it  in  the 
hand  of  Satan,  It  hurled  the  first-born  sons  of  God 
from  Heaven,  and  locked  them  up  in  a  prison  of  despair; 
turned  our  first  parents  out  of  Eden,  and  changed  this 
world  from  a  paradise  to  a  wilderness  of  sorrow,  agony, 
tears,  and  death. 

It  is  the  abominable  thing  which  God  hates — 

"The  boundless  upas,  the  all-bl.isting  tree, 

Whose  root  is  earth,  whose  leaves  and  branches  be 

The  skies  which  rain  their  plagues  on  men  like  dew — 

Disease,  death,  bondage — all  the  woes  we  see, 

And  worse,  the  woes  we  see  not — which  throb  through 

The  un medicable  soul  with  heart-aches  ever  new." 

But  what  makes  sin  especially  hateful  in  the  eyes  of 


108  "  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

all  the  good,  is  the  fact  that  it  has  crucified  the  Son  of 
God. 

See  Him,  the  best,  the  kindest,  thelovliest  of  beings, 
waylaid,  mocked,  bruised,  beaten,  falsely  condemned, 
dying  in  agony,  with  all  comforts  denied  Him,  and  all 
the  indignities  which  satanic  malice  could  invent,  heaped 
upon  Him,  and  then  tell  me  if  sin  is  not  an  evi],  and  a 
bitter  thing ! 

See  Him  bearing  His  cross,  staggering  beneath  the 
load,  crying  aloud  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou 
forsaken  me/'  and  then  tell  me  what  it  is  to  be  a  sinner, 
an  unpardoned  sinner,  under  the  wrath  and  curse  of  an 
offended  God! 

Sit  down  now  in  the  light  of  the  cross,  and  read  these 
words,  "  All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God/'  "  If  -ire  say  ive  hare  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves, 
and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  There  is  not  a  just  man  on 
earth,  that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not." 

We  are  in  debt — hopelessly  in  debt.  When  a  man  takes 
property  which  belongs  to  another,  and  which  has  been 
entrusted  to  his  care,  and  uses  it  as  if  it  were  his  own, 
and  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  use  it  as  he  pleased,  without 
regard  to  the  wishes  of  the  owner,  he  becomes  indebted 
to  the  owner  of  the  property.  He  is  responsible  for  the 
use  he  makes  of  whatever  is  entrusted  to  his  charge,  and 
if  he  squanders  it,  or  loses  it  in  speculation,  he  is  bound 
by  law  to  make  amends. 


"OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  109 

So,  when  a  man  has  taken  God's  mercies,  the  innu- 
merable mercies  of  God,  such  as  food,  raiment,  health, 
strength,  earthly  homes,  earthly  relationships,  and  all 
those  useful  and  necessary  things  which  delight  the 
senses,  and  gratify  the  mind:  when  a  man  takes  all 
these,  and  squanders  them  upon  his  lusts,  making  no 
return  of  gratitude,  love,  or  service,  he  is  under  condem- 
nation. Or,  to  use  the  figure  of  our  text,  he  is  in  debt, 
under  the  heavy  burden  of  a  debt  he  can  never  pay,  and 
whenever  he  thinks  of  this  debt  he  is  troubled. 

Day  and  night,  sleeping  or  waking,  he  is  harrassed 
and  tortured,  and  like  the  Psalmist  cries,  "Have  mercy 
upon  me  O  God,  for  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions, 
and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me." 


II. 

Our  plea  is  for  pardon  and  forgiveness.  Our  only 
ground  of  hope  is  in  the  mercy  of  God.  We  cannot 
justify  ourselves,  we  cannot  merit  salvation.  We  can- 
not deny,  or  conceal,  or  make  atonement.  Our  only  plea 
is  mercy — 

"  Mercy  alone  can  meet  my  case, 

For  mercy,  Lord,  I  cry; 
Jesus,  Redeemer,  show  Thy  face 

In  mercy,  or  I  die." 

And  now  comes  in  the  grand  distinguishing  truth  of 


110  "  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

the  Bible — the  great  fact  that -God  can  pardon  sin. 

This  is  the  truth  which  charms  us,  captivates  us,  fills 
our  hearts  with  adoring  gratitude,  and  fills  all  Heaven 
with  praise. 

Nntural  religion  gives  no  hope  of  pardon,  no  promise 
of  forgiveness.  Natural  law  is  inexorable,  merciless. 
He  who  violates  natural  law  can  never  escape  its  penalty. 

If  I  thrust  my  hand  into  the  fire,  I  am  burned.  If  I 
jump  from  the  house-top,  I  am  dashed  to  death.  Poison 
kills,  and  gravity  never  loses  its  grasp  for  a  moment. 
The  deviation  of  a  planet  a  single  inch  from  the  path 
its  law  marks  out,  would  bring  the  most  disastrous  con- 
sequences. 

Reasoning  from  analogy,  men  hold  that  God  cannot 
forgive  sin.  But  hear,  O  Heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth! 
Here  is  the  great  mystery  of  godliness — God  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself.  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whc- 
soever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."  (f  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse 
of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us."  ' '  He  was  made 
sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin."  "  He  bore  our  sin  in  His 
own  body  on  the  tree."  "  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him 
the  iniquities  of  us  all." 

Herein  is  love — love  unparalleled  and  unspeakable, 
and  through  this  wondrous  work  of  mediation  and 
redemption,  the  God  of  the  universe  can  forgive  sin. 


t 

"  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS/'  111 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  promise  made  to  our  first 
parents  ?  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  ceremonial  law  ? 
What  is  the  meaning  of  the  institutions  of  religion? 
What  is  the  meaning  of  the  sacraments  of  baptism,  and 
the  Lord's  supper,  and  wnat  is  the  meaning  of  this 
model  prayer  ?  Why  are  we  taught  to  pray  "  forgive  us, 
forgive  us/'  if  God  cannot  forgive,  and  if  every  man 
must  suffer  the  penalty  of  violated  law? 

Our  God  is  merciful,  our  God  forgiven  sin.  He  is  a 
God  who  delights  in  pardon. 

Read  the  promises ;  read  the  invitations  ;  see  the  course 
of  treatment  which  He  adopts  towards  sinners. 

See  Him  as  He  comes,  and  suffers,  and  dies  !  See  Him 
sending  forth  His  messengers  to  proclaim  salvation  ! 
See  Him  exalted,  and  for  what?  "  To  give  repentance 
unto  Israel,  and  remission  of  sins." 

Hear  Him  saying,  "I  am  He  that  blotteth  out  thy 
transgressions." 

Think  of  the  multitude  of  forgiven  sinners  on  earth 
and  in  Heaven,  and  then  cry  "  Hallelujah!"  "  Blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  Him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  forever  and 
ever." 

Our  Father's  forgiveness  is  free,  full,  everlasting  and 
immediate. 

1.     He  forgives /ra%,  voluntarily,  because  He  delights 


I 

112  "OuR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

to  forgive,  and  because  an  unforgiving  spirit  is  entirely 
foreign  to  His  nature. 

The  work  of  Christ,  instead  of  changing  God,  or  buy- 
ing Him  over  to  pardon,  was  the  natural  expression  of 
the  Father's  heart,  the  overflowing  of  infinite  love  and 
mercy. 

2.  He  for  gives  fully.    He  does  not  say, c<  I  forgive,  but 
I  cannot  forget,"  or,  f '  I  forgive,  but  I  hope  I  shall  never 
see  you  again."     He  cancels  the  entire  debt,  interest  and 
all,  and  then  accepts  the  debtor  as  a  friend  and  brother. 

3.  He  forgives  forever.     He  does  not  forgive  for  a 
few  days  or  weeks,  cherishing  His  grudges,  hugging  to 
His  breast  His  red-hot,  blistering  resentments,  with  the 
intention  of  taking  revenge  at  some  time  in  the  future. 

He  forgives  forever,  never  again  to  mention  the  debt, 
or  cherish  an  unkind  thought  concerning  it. 

4.  He  forgives  Immediately.    History  tells  of  men  who 
have   walked  barefooted,  clothed   with   sack-cloth,  and 
with  ropes  around  their  necks,  day  after  day  before  the 
door  of  a  king's  palace,  suing  for  pardon,  begging  for 
mercy,  aud  yet  making  no  impression  on  the  hard  heart 
of  their  sovereign . 

Our  God  never  keeps  His  penitent  children  waiting 
thus  in  agony  and  suspense.  He  marks  the  very  first 
tear,  hears  the  first  sigh,  sees  the  prodigal  a  great  way 
off,  and  comes  immediately  to  his  help.  Yea,  he  even 
goes  before  us,  and  with  multitudes  of  daily  mercies, 


"OuR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  113 

innumerable  arguments,  and  loving  messages  of  persua- 
sive love,  seeks  to  melt  our  hearts,  and  prepare  us  for 
the  act  of  pardon. 

Men  say  "  it  will  be  soon  enough  to  talk  of  forgiveness 
when  the  offender  comes  and  asks  such  favor."  "  But 
God  commendeth  His  love  toward  us  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners  Christ  died  for  us." 

But  while  we  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  God  is  merciful,  it 
is  well  for  us  to  remember  that  He  does  not  pardon 
indiscriminately . 

As  in  all  human  governments ,  the  indiscriminate  ex- 
ercise of  pardoning  power  has  been  followed  with  most 
disastrous  results,  so  in  the  government  of  God,  if 
pardon  were  always  extended  to  the  guilty,  without 
regard  to  the  conditions  of  penitence  and  faith,  the 
law  would  be  of  no  effect. 

There  are  times  when  the  exercise  of  this  power  seems 
most  desirable,  and  when  the  finest  feelings  of  our  nature 
would  be  outraged  by  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  one  in 
authority  to  exercise  this  great  prerogative.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  suppose  all  our  prisons  and  penitentiaries  to 
be  opened,  and  all  the  criminals  to  be  turned  loose  to  rob, 
murder,  and  destroy,  how  soon  would  this  earth  be 
changed  to  hell,  and  where  would  there  be  any  safety 
for  life  or  property  ? 

Proclaim  to  all  offenders  that  they  may  violate  law 
with  impunity,  and  the  foundations  of  society  are  de- 


114  "  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

stroyed,  and  a  free  rein  is  given  to  lust  and  avarice,  and  all 

* 
the  appetites  and  passions  of  men. 


III. 

What  then  are  the  conditions  of  pardon  ?  What  lim- 
itations has  God  given  to  guide  us  in  the  use  of  this  plea? 
"  Forgive  as  we  forgive."  Here  is  the  test  which  God 
applies,  and  by  which  He  would  have  us  try  our  hearts. 
"  If  ye  for  give  not  men  their  their  trespasses,  neither  will  your 
Heavenly  Father  forgive  you."  "He  shall  have  judgment 
without  mercy,  who  showelh  no  mercy."  lt Vengeance  is 
mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord."  (f  If  a  man  say,  I  love 
God,  andhateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar,  for  he  that  loveth 
not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  God 
whom  he  hath  not  seen."  "Wlien  ye  stand  praying,  forgive, 
if  ye  have  aught  against  any,  that  your  Father  ivhich  is 
in  Heaven  may  also  forgive  you." 

"  Speak  not  of  vengeance  !  tis  the  right  of  God, 
Vengeance  is  His.     Who  shall  usurp  the  holt, 
And  launch  it  for  Omnipotence  ?     Shall  man 
Assume  the  right  of  judgment,  cr  prescribe 
How  far  the  line  of  mercy  shall  extend, 
Or  punishment  shall  stretch  its  iron  rod?" 

Suppose  a  company  of  hard-fisted,  narrow-minded, 
bigoted  and  over-reaching  men  to  approach  the  throne  of 
God  with  this  petition .  They  oppress  the  poor,  deceive  the 
ignorant,  and  take  advantage  of  those  who  are  in  circum- 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS."  115 

stances  of  trial  and  distress.  They  monopolize  the  gifts 
of  God,  bind  heavy  burdens,  shut  up  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven,  and  hinder  those  who  would  enter;  riot  in  their 
luxuries  while  others  are  starving,  and  then  go  into 
the  presence  of  God  and  say,  "  Forgive  as  we  forgive; 
deal  with  us  as  we  deal  with  our  debtors." 

If  God  should  answer  such  prayers,  He  would  open 
the  flood-gates  of  divine  wrath,  and  overwhelm  their 
guilty  souls  forever. 

God  forgives  such  men  as  He  forgives  demons  ;  He 
gives  them  the  desire  of  their  hearts,  lets  them  "eat  of 
the  fruit  of  their  own  ways,  and  be  filled  with  their  own 
desires." 

He  forgives  them  as  the  king  in  the  parable  forgave 
the  unmerciful  servant.  He  has  compassion,  cherishes 
no  unkind  feelings,  grudges,  or  resentments,  but  all  His 
love  is  rendered  ineffectual  by  their  own  perverse  and 
rebellious  spirits. 

There  is  just  one  way  by  which  the  forgiving  love  of  God 
may  be  rendered  complete  and  effectual.  The  holy 
Spirit  of  God  must  change  our  natures,  and  make  us  new 
within.  The  Spirit  of  Him  who  said,  "  Father  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do,"  must  take  pos- 
session of  our  hearts  and  guide  our  lives. 

Worldlings  may  declare  this  grace  unmanly  ;  infidels 
may  denounce  it  as  "  the  dog-like  virtue;  the  grace  of 
a  beaten  hound,"  but  he  who  knows  the  sweetness  of 


116  c<  OUR  FATHER'S  FORGIVENESS." 

God's  mercy,  by  his  own  blessed  experience,  will  glory 
in  it  as  the  crown  of  all  graces. 

Hear,  in  conclusion,  the  language  of  one  who  knew, 
better  than  any  other  uninspired  man,  how  to  touch  the 
secret  springs  of  our  nature  and  give  expression  to 
its  loftiest  thoughts. 

"  The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained  : 
It  droppeth,  as  the  gentle  r..in  from  Heaven, 
Upon  the  place  heneath.     It  is  twice  blessed  : 
It  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes. 
JTis  mightiest  in  the  mightiest  :  it  becomes 
The  throned  monarch  better  than  his  crown." 

Better  still  and  more  awfully  solemn,  are  the  words  of 
the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles. 

"  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels, 
and  (hough  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all 
mysteries  and  all  knowledge :  and  though  1  have  all  faith 
so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and  have  not  chirily,  I 
am  nothing." 


VII. 


OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE. 


c<  Lead  us    not   into   temptation,    biti   delirer    UK  from 
evil." — MATT,  vi  :  13. 


"OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 


"Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Jehovah! 

Pilgrim  though  this  barren  land  ; 
I  am  weak,  but  tbou  art  mighty, 

Hold  me  with  Thy  powerful  hand." 

When  a  sinner  comes  to  himself  he  begins  to  be  in 
in  want.  When  he  understands  the  nature  of  his  want, 
,he  seeks  forgiveness,  and  when  accepted  and  pardoned, 
he  enters  the  service  of  Christ  and  begins  to  contend 
with  sin,  he  feels  the  need  of  heavenly  wisdom  and 
spiritual  help. 

His  enemies  are  numerous  and  strong,  his  own  powers 
enfeebled  by  sin,  and  when  he  looks  within  and  around, 
and  sees  things  as  they  are,  in  the  light  of  Heaven,  the 
language  of  his  heart  is,  "Father,  take  my  hand .  Lead  me, 
lead  me,  for  I  need  a  guide  divine.  Lead  me  not  into 
temptation,  not  into  the  midst  of  my  enemies,  for  they 
are  too  many  and  too  strong  for  me." 

He  is  pardoned,  accepted,  and  adopted  into  God's 
family,  but  still  there  is  something  wanting — strength  for 
the  journey,  and  power  to  meet  and  grapple  with  the 
enemy. 


120  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE/' 

He  is  like  a  newly  fledged  birdling,  just  beginning  to 
test  his  new  found  powers.  As  he  looks  back  upon  his  foi" 
mer  condition,  his  rags,  his  wretchedness  and  ruin,  and 
thinks  of  the  possibility  of  falling  from  his  high  estate, 
he  begins  to  tremble  and  call  for  help,  and  as  no  earthly 
friend  can  give  the  counsel,  strength  or  guidance  which 
he  needs,  he  lifts  his  heart  to  Heaven  and  cries  for  help 
divine. 

Seasons  of  excessive  joy  are  often  succeeded  by  fiery 
trials. 

Moses,  the  great  law-giver  of  Israel  once  received  pecu- 
liar favors.  He  stood  upon  the  Mount  where  he  saw 
God  face  to  face,  talked  with  him  as  friend  talks  with 
friend,  and  received  the  law  directly  from  His  hand. 

But  when  the  visions,  revelations,  and  miracles  were 
past,  he  returned  to  behold  a  sight  by  which  he  was 
grieved  and  tried  beyond  endurance  ;  a  people  who  had 
said  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  just  forty  days  before, 
"  All  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  we  will  do,"  were  howl- 
ing, shrieking  and  dancing  around  a  golden  calf,  filled 
with  the  frenzy  of  idolatry,  in  utter  disregard  and  for- 
getfulness  of  all  their  vows  and  promises. 

What  wonder  was  it  that  Moses  then  lost  his  temper, 
broke  the  commandments,  ground  the  golden  calf  to 
powder,  and  from  it  made  a  nauseating  draught  of  which 
the  people  were  obliged  to  drink. 

When  David,  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel,  danced  before 


OUK    KvniEU's    GUIDANCE/'  121 


the  Lord,  and  returned  to  bless  his  house,  he  was  met 
at  the  door  by  one  who  poured  contempt  and  ridicule 
upon  him.  He  had  plucked  the  flowers  and  fruits  of  joy 
and  triumph,  and  now  he  feels  the  thorns  He  had  been 
lifted  up  to  the  third  heaven  of  bliss,  and  now  the 
messenger  of  Satan  comes  to  buffet  him.  He  had  given 
free  expression  to  all  his  pent-up  feelings  of  exaltation 
and  delight,  and  now  his  heart  must  be  bruised  and 
pierced  with  taunts  and  jeers,  and  cutting  inuendoes. 

Similar  to  this  was  the  experience  of  our  Lord. 

Just  before  he  uttered  the  words  of  this  prayer,  He 
had  passed  through  the  fiercest  fight,  and  most  terribly 
exhausting  temptation  which  any  mortal  ever  endured. 
After  His  baptism,  when  the  heavens  opened,  and  the 
dove  descended,  and  the  voice  of  God  was  heard  saying 
"  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased/' 
He  was  "led  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wilderness  to  be 
tempted  of  the  devil/' 

What  He  suffered  during  those  forty  days  and 
nights  of  agony,  in  that  dreary,  desolate  place,  no  tongue 
can  tell.  He  Himself,  never  told  His  awful  experience 
there  to  any  human  being. 

But  with  truest,  tenderest  sympathy  and  divinestlove, 
He  desires  that  we,  as  far  as  possible,  may  be  delivered 
from  such  conflicts.  Coming  from  that  battle  with 
Apollyon,  knowing  by  experience  what  temptation 
means,  He  teaches  us  to  say,  "  Lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion/' 


122  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

The  desert  of  temptation  is  a  dieary  place.  It  is  dark 
and  cheerless,  and  devoid  of  every  creature  comfort.  It 
is  isolated,  separated,  away  from  all  human  help  and 
every  means  of  earthly  deliverance. 

No  one  in  his  senses  would  ever  v\  ish  to  go  there,  and 
though  the  discipline  may  be  necessary,  yea,  absolutely 
essential,  yet  the  natural  cry  of  every  child  of  God  is, 
"  Lead  us  not  in  that  direction — lead  us  not  into  the 
desert."  Conscious  of  our  weakness,  and  our  ignorance, 
we  draw  back  from  the  conflict  and  ask  to  be  delivered,  but 
always  with  submission  to  the  will  of  Heaven,  and  un- 
flinching loyalty  to  the  Captain  of  our  salvation.  This 
petition  is  then  a  plea  for  guidance  and  deliverance. 
First,  we  pray  that  we  may  be  led  away  from  all 
solicitations  to  sin,  and  all  severe  and  crushing  trials,  so 
far  as  is  consistent  with  the  Divine  will. 

And  secondly,  we  pray  that  when  tried  and  tempted, 
drawn  this  way  and  that  way,  to  the  right  and  to  the  left, 
we  may  find  a  way  of  escape. 

Lead  us  not  into,  but  out  of  temptation.  We  are  in  a 
world  of  trial,  surrounded  on  every  hand  by  scenes  and 
objects  which  allure;  so  lead  us  that  we  may  be  delivered 
from  their  fatal  snares. 

He  who  loves  war,  and  rushes  recklessly  into  the  con- 
flict, is  the  first  to  flee  when  in  the  presence  of  danger. 
No  greater  cowards  can  be  found  than  those  who  are 
forever  boasting  of  their  strength,  and  daring  others  to 


s(  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE/  123 

light.  Bat  show  me  a  man  who  is  opposed  to  war,  who 
hates  strife,  whose  nature  recoils  and  draws  back  from 
it,  and  I  will  show  you  a  man  who,  when  duty  calls, 
will  stand  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and  who  will  die  rather  than 
surrender. 

Temptation  means  trial,  probation.  We  are  in  temp- 
tation from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  our  existence, 
and  we  never  understand  this  petition  until  we  take  it  in 
connection  with  the  prayer  for  deliverance. 

"  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from 
evil,"  or,  as  our  revised  version  has  it,  "  from  the  evil 
one/'  There  is  an  evil  one  ;  there  is  a  personal  devil.  He 
has  fixed  his  throne  here,  and  collected  legions  of  evil 
spirits.  He  is  the  prince  of  these  spirits — " the  prince 
of  the  powers  of  the  air."  The  spirit  which  rules  him  is  a 
spirit  of  wrath  and  hate.  He  takes  all  shapes  to  suit  his 
dark  designs.  Sometimes  he  comes  as  an  angel  of  light, 
and  sometimes  as  a  roaring  lion  ;  sometimes  with  soft 
words,  and  smooth  words,  and  sometimes  with  great, 
swelling  words  of  wrath  and  malice.  But  the  purpose 
is  always  the  same.  He  hates  God  and  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  his  object  is  by  every  possible  mode  of 
warfare,  offensive  and  defensive,  secret  and  public,  to 
hinder  the  progress  of  God's  kingdom,  and  destroy  the 
souls  of  men. 

Do  you  ask  why  I  believe  in  a  devil?  Simply  because 
I  see  so  much  that  is  devilish.  Kid  the  world  of  all 


124  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE/' 

devilish  customs,  devilish  opinions,  works,  and  ways, 
and  you  will  make  it  very  hard  for  me  to  believe  in  a 
personal  devil. 

Show  me  a  place  where  the  people  are  all  good,  honest, 
amiable,  and  lovely,  transparently  pure  and  perfect 
through  and  through,  and  you  may  be  able  to  convince 
me  that  there  is  no  devil  anywhere  about.  But  so  long  as  I 
see  so  much  dishonesty ,  fraud,  treachery ,  and  duplicity;  so 
much  that  is  vile,  tricky,  malign  and  cruel  ;  so  much,  in 
short,  that  is  like  the  devil,  I  can't  help  believing  that 
his  majesty  is  somewhere  in  the  vicinity. 

See  how  the  strong  lord  it  over  the  weak  !  See  how  the 
rich  oppress  the  poor  !  See  cultured  and  refined  villains, 
using  all  manner  of  arts  and  devices  to  entrap  the  inno- 
cent and  unwary,  laying  snares,  digging  pits,  working 
night  and  day,  as  if  their  lives  depended  upon  it,  and 
when  the  object  is  accomplished,  gloating  over  the  ruin 
they  have  wrought ! 

Read  the  recent  revelations  in  London,  which  have 
created  such  an  earthquake  of  excitement  throughout 
the  civilized  world,  involving  lords,  dukes,  members  of 
parliament,  and  even  the  royal  family  itself,  in  crimes 
against  decency  and  purity  ;  using  their  wealth  and 
position  to  ruin  innocent  girls.  See  these  and  other 
monstrous  evils,  evils  which  blast  the  prospects  and 
blight  the  happiness  of  their  victims  for  time  and  for 
eternity,  evils  perpetuated  even  under  the  sacred  name 


ft  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  125 

of  religion,  and  under  the  cloak  of  a  Christian  profession, 
and  then  tell  me  if  there  is  not  something  in  society 
to  suggest  demoniac  agency — something  to  suggest  the 
horns  and  hoofs,  the  serpentine  windings,  and  lion-like 
boastings  of  the  arch-fiend! 

The  power  of  the  tempter  is  of  a  three-fold  nature. 
His  arts  and  devices  are  innumerable,  adapted  to  every 
age,  race,  nation,  and  individual. 

There  are  three  principle  forms,  however,  under  which 
all  temptations  may  be  classed  : 

I.     Those  which  reach  us  through  the  body. 
II.     Those  which  reach  us  through  the  mind. 
III.     Those  which  are  addressed  directly  to  our  reli- 
gious natures. 

I. 

The  first  and  most  common  form  of  temptation,  is  that 
which  aims  no  higher  thin  the  physical  or  animal — the 
gratification  of  the  appetites  and  passions. 

This  was  the  first  temptation  of  our  Lord  :  a  conflict 
between  the  animal,  and  the  spiritual,  the  body  and  the 
soul.  The  tempter  came  to  Him,  perhaps,  in  the  form  of  a 
man,  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  traveler,  wearied  and  worn, 
and  famishing  with  hunger,  and  after  the  usual  saluta- 
tions, said,  "If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that 
these  stones  be  made  bread." 


126  "OuR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

This  first  temptation  of  our  Lord  is  the  first  with 
which  we  have  to  struggle.  The  flesh  cries  out,  "  what 
shall  we  eat,  and  what  shall  we  drink/3  The  spirit 
answers,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God."  The 
flesh  siys,  (<  Take  care  of  the  material,  gratify  your  pas- 
sions, eat,  drink,  and  be  merry."  The  spirit  says,  "  Thou 
fool,  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee,  then 
whose  shall  these  things  be  ?" 

The  tempter  comes  to  one  who  is  in  this  struggle,  and 
shows  him  a  short  road  to  the  accomplishment  of  his 
object.  If  he  listens,  parleys,  yields,  he  is  henceforth 
under  the  tempter's  power.  He  is  in  temptation,  in  the 
sense  that  he  is  under  the  power  of  the  tempter's  charms. 
He  may  not  know  it  or  suspect  it. 

The  victim  of  intemperance  never  suspects  that  dan- 
ger is  nigh,  until  the  habit  is  fastened  upon  him.  He 
may  see  the  growth  of  the  habit  in  others,  wonder 
at  their  folly,  and  warn  them  of  the  fatal  effects  and 
tendencies  of  such  a  course.  But  his  own  case  is  pecu- 
liar. He  can  play  with  fire  and  not  be  burned.  He  can 
take  vipers  into  his  bosom,  and  receive  no  injury.  He 
can  look  upon  the  serpent  in  the  wine  cup,  and  watch 
its  colors  with  no  fear  of  its  fascinations  and  enchant- 
ments. He  can  breath  the  polluted  air  of  the  house  of 
feasting  and  revelry,  and  yet  escape  its  foul  contagion. 
And  so  li€  wavers,  and  vacillates,  and  parleys  with  the 
tempter,  until  the  fatal  snare  is  drawn,  until  a  strange, 


"  Ouu  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  127 

unnatural  love  for  the  intoxicating  cup  is  formed, 
the  fiery  cords  of  this  sinful  habit  are  fastened  upon  him, 
and  debased,  degraded,  and  dishonored,  he  is  dragged 
downward  through  poverty,  shame,  disease,  and  woe, 
towards  a  drunkard's  grave,  and  a  drunkard's  hell.  Now 
he  may  struggle  and  strive  in  vain  ;  the  grasp  of  a 
giant  is  on  him,  while  his  power  of  resistance  is  daily 
becoming  weaker. 

."  You  must  give  up  drink,  or  die,"  said  a  physician  to 
one  in  the  power  of  this  temptation.  "  Well,  then  I  must 
die,"  was  the  answer,  "  for  I  cannot  give  up  the  drink." 
He  had  squandered  his  property,  robbed  his  u  if e  and 
children  of  their  necessary  food  and  clothing,  broken  the 
heart  of  the  one  whom  he  had  solemnly  promised  to 
love,  honor,  and  cherish,  sacrificed  time,  talent,  youth, 
and  beauty,  all  that  was  noble  and  God-like  in  his 
nature,  and  yet,  with  death  staring  hkn  in  the  face,  and 
hell  yawning  to  receive  him,  he  could  say,  "  I  must  and 
will  have  the  drink."  His  love  for  drink  was  stronger 
than  his  love  of  life,  stronger  than  his  love  of  home  and 
friends,  wife  and  children.  It  had  triumphed  over  every 
other  passion  and  affection. 

Another  victim  of  I  his  evil  habit  said  to  a  reformer, 
"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  stop;  I  realize  it.  If  you 
should  tell  me  I  could  not  have  a  drink  until  to-morrow 
night,  unless  I  had  all  my  fingers  cut  off,  I  would  say, 
bring  the  hatchet  and  cut  them  off  !" 


128  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE/' 

Another  said,  cc  If  there  stood  a  cannon,  and  it  was 
loaded,  and  there  was  a  glass  of  wine  on  the  mouth  of 
the  cannon,  and  I  knew  you  would  fire  it  off  if  I 
approached,  I  would  start  to  get  that  glass  of  wine." 

"  You  know  I  am  your  friend,  and  you  know  I  will 
tell  you  the  truth,"  said  a  physician  to  a  young  man 
suffering  in  delirium  tremens.  "  You  have  a  hard  siege 
before  you  ;  I  think  I  can  pull  you  through,  however, 
but  if  you  ever  again  touch  a  drop  of  liquor,  you  need 
not  send  for  me,  for  you  are  a  dead  man."  The  young 
man  looked  up  and  said,  t(  Doctor,  you  say  I  have  to 
suffer,  what  do  you  know  about  it  ?  Suffer  !  I  have 
had  great  spiders  draw  their  soft  bodies,  with  hairy  legs, 
all  over  my  face  and  in  my  mouth.  I  have  had  green 
flies  buzz  in  my  ears,  and  crawl — ah  !  ah  !  they  are  com- 
ing now  !"  And  in  less  than  two  minutes  he  was  in 
most  terrible  convulsions,  requiring  two  men  to  hold 
him.  Ten  days  and  nights  he  suffered  torments  unut- 
terable, and  yet,  when  he  was  on  his  feet  again,  he  went 
straight  to  a  saloon,  called  for  a  drink,  and  continued 
drinking  until  he  died.  Such  is  the  awful,  tempting 
power  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh. 

II. 

Satan  tempts  man  through  the  mind,  by  appealing  to 
his  love  of  honor,  power  or  fame,  the  burning,  restless, 
raging  passion  of  ambition. 


tfOuR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  129 

There  is  a  kind  of  ambition  which  is  praiseworthy  ;  a 
desire  to  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord — a  longing 
of  the  soul  for  that  genuine  nobility  of  heart  and  life 
which  is  set  before  us  in  the  Gospel. 

But  the  kind  of  ambition  most  common  among  men  is 
that  which  springs  from  the  promise  of  the  tempter :  ' '  ye 
shall  be  as  gods."  It  is  a  desire  for  that  kind  of  great- 
ness which  conies  from  rank,  money,  or  any  other  kind 
of  earthly  power.  No  man  knows  his  own  weakness  in 
this  regard,  or  his  need  of  help  from  Heaven,  until  his 
strength  has  been  tried. 

"  Every  man  has  his  price,"  is  a  common  saying,  and 
one  which  seems  universally  true.  Aaron  Burr  once  said, 
"  No  moral  agent,  since  the  world  began,  ever  prevailed 
over  twenty -five  per  cent  profit." 

So  the  tempter  said  of  Job,  "  Doth  Job  serve  God  for 
naught?  Hast  Thou  not  made  a  hedge  about  him, 
and  about  his  house,  and  about  all  he  hath  ?  But  put 
forth  now  Thy  hand  and  touch  all  that  he  hath,  and 
he  will  curse  Thee  to  Thy  face." 

And  to  give  the  devil  his  due,  we  must  acknowledge 
that  he  had  some  reason  for  speaking  as  he  did.  So 
many  strong  men  had  fallen,  so  many  of  the  best 
and  noblest  of  earth  had  been  cast  down  and  overcome 
when  tried  in  this  way,  that  it'  did  seem  that  it  would 
hardly  be  safe  to  subject  Job  to  such  a  trial. 


130  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

O  !  how  many  seem  to  have  some  selfish  motive  mixed 
with  all  they  do  !  So  long  as  it  is  for  their  advantage  to 
serve  God,  they  are  very  religious,  but  let  the  devil  offer 
them  some  better  place,  some  good,  fat  office,  and  their 
heads  are  turned.  A  thoughtless  man  may  see  no  danger 
here,  but  let  him  begin  to  reflect  and  pray,  and  like  Bun- 
yan,  he  may  see  the  very  heavens  on  fire,  the  nrmanent 
crackling  and  shivering,  while  beneath,  the  earth  is 
opening,  and  figures  of  men  are  tossed  up  with  globes  of 
fire  and  blood,  while  devils  mingling  with  them  laugh 
aloud  at  their  torments. 

He  who  knows  the  least  of  himself  is  the  most  confi- 
dent, strong  and  presumptous.  He  can  weigh  the 
mountains,  subdue  the  elements,  and  yoking  fire  and 
water  compel  them  to  his  service.  He  believes  not  in 
God,  man  or  the  devil,  but  puts  his  trust  in  his  strength 
of  body  and  of  mind. 

To  such  the  tempter  comes  with  promises  of  wealth 
and  power. 

When  he  took  our  Lord  to  the  exceeding  high  mount- 
ain, it  is  said  he  showed  him  "  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  and  the  glory  of  them."  The  struggle  there  was 
desperate.  The  Son  of  Man,  our  great  exemplar,  there 
met  the  champions  of  the  hosts  of  hell,  and  triumphed 
over  him,  with  no  other  weapon  than  that  which  he  puts 
into  the  hand  of  every  one  of  his  disciples,  the  sword  of 
the  spirit,  "  the  word  of  God."  "It  is  written — it  is 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  131 

written — it   is   written" — that   was  the  only  answer  He 
gave  the  arch  fiend,  and  that  was  all  we  need. 

Light  and  darkness,  good  and  evil,  the  kingdoms  of 
God  and  the  kingdoms  of  Satan,  are  arrayed  against  each 
other  here  upon  this  earth  in  hand  to  hand  conflict. 
Myriads  of  invisible  spectators  behold  the  scene  and 
anxiously  await  the  issue  asthe  tempter  says  to  some  young 
man,  "all  these  things  will  I  give  thee."  Thou  shalt 
live  in  luxury  and  ease.  Thine  every  wish  shall  be  gratified 
and  every  sense  shall  receive  the  full  fruition  of  enjoy- 
ment which  it  craves.  Men  shall  delight  to  honor  thee, 
and  say  many  things  of  thy  greatness  and  thy  glory. 

Visions  of  houses  and  lands,  broad  meadows,  covered 
with  a  rank,  luxuriant  growth  of  corn,  or  waving  grain,  ser- 
vants in  livery  to  go  and  come  at  his  bidding,  and  a  table 
loaded  with  the  richest  delicacies  and  viands — all  these 
and  other  glowing  pictures  rise  up  before  the  mind  of 
the  intended  victim,  but  the  end — the  dreadful  end — of  a 
worldly,  godless  life  is  hidden. 

•  The  avaricious  man,  the  man  who  will  be  rich,  is  in 
temptation. 

The  love  of  money,  the  accursed  desire  for  gold,  is  a 
fire  in  the  bones,  a  burning,  restless,  raging  fever.  The 
man  is  unhappy  both  in  the  pursuit  of  his  object,  and  in 
the  possession  of  it. 

He  is  envious,  jealous,  always  in  hot  water,  always 
anxious  lest  some  one  shall  gain  a  small  advantage  over 


132  <fOim  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

him.  And  when  his  object  is  accomplished,  when  his 
riches  have  increased,  and  his  coffers  are  filled,  he  is  not 
satisfied.  Conscience  does  not  trouble  him,  for  her  voice 
is  hushed.  TkelaivofGod  does  not  trouble  him,  for  he  is  a 
stranger  to  God  and  the  claims  of  His -law.  The  ivants  of 
a  perishing  world  do  not  trouble  him,  for  he  is  deaf  to  the 
cries  of  the  poor  and  needy. 

Even  the  ties  of  nature  are  disregarded,  and  it  would 
seem  as  if  the  man  might  now  have  peace,  at  least  the 
peace  of  the  dead  sea,  or  the  graveyard.  But  no  !  there 
is  a  viper  gnawing  at  his  heart,  unsatisfied  desire,  a 
deep,  unutterable  and  insatiable  longing  after  some- 
thing, and  what  he  knows  not. 

He  has  been  deceived,  cruelly  deceived  and  blindly 
led  into  a  snare,  and  when  God  awakens  him,  he  will 
cry,  as  did  the  wretched  Queen  Elizabeth,  "  Call  time 
again;  call  time  again;  millions  of  money  for  an  inch  of 
time  !" 

God  hath  declared  that  "  He  that  loveth  silver,  shall 
not  be  satisfied  with  silver/5,  Solomon  had  silver  to  the 
value  of  $5,000,000,000,  and  gold  to  the  value  of  $3,000,- 
000,000,  and  yet  in  the  midst  of  his  affluence  be  sat 
down  and  wrote  these  words — "  Vanity  of  vanities." 

"J'ehold  the  picture  of  earth's  happiest  man  1 
He  calls  his  wish.     It  comes.     He  sends  it  back 
And  says  he  called  another.     That  arrives, 
Meets  the  same  welcome;  yet  he  still  calls  on, 
Till  one  calls  him  who  varies  not  his  call, 
But  holds  him  fast  in  chains  of  darkness  bound." 


"  OUK  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  133 

We  come  now  to  the  most  daring,  dangerous,  and  pre- 
sumptuous of  all  the  tempter's  fiery  trials — that  which 
aims  directly  at,  the  highest  and  holiest  part  of  oar  nature. 

There  is  a  way  to  hell  even  from  the  gate  of  Heaven, 
a  way  which  seemeth  right,  the  end  of  which  is  death; 
and  no  man  is  so  terribly  deceived  as  he  who  is  in  that 
way.  When  the  tempter  sees  that  a  man  is  bound  to 
have  a  religion  of  some  kind,  he  tries  to  satisfy  him  with 
a  false  religion,  and  if  he  fails  in  this,  he  tries  to  mix 
the  false  with  the  true,  and  so  corrupt  and  dilute  it  as  to 
make  it  weak  and  inefficient. 

Take  for  instance  the  grand  doctrine  of  justification 
by  faith  in  Christ.  No  doctrine  is  more  important  or 
p  recious .  Its  worth  cannot  be  over  estimated .  It  is  divine 
and  glorious  in  its  origin,  nature  and  effects.  But  the  best 
things  in  this  world  are  liable  to  the  greatest  abuses,  and 
while  genuine  faith  saves,  a  false  faith,  a  dead  faith, 
a  faith  without  works,  brings  swift  and  sure  destruc- 
tion. Such  a  faith  in  the  goodness  of  God,  or  the  Divine 
Fatherhood,  or  the  "  darling  attribute,"  as  it  is  called, 
of  God's  infinite  mercy,  as  leads  to  carelessness  and 
neglect,  or  such  confidence  in  the  merits  of  Christ 
as  precludes  the  necessity  of  repentance  and  a  life  of  new 
obedience,  is  most  pernicious. 

"You  are  not  under  law  but  under  grace,"  says  the 
tempter,  "therefore  you  may  live  as  you  list."  You  are 
called,  justified,  accepted  and  adopted,  therefore  you 


134  "OuR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

'have   no    more  need    of  fighting.     Christ  has  died,  his 

work  is  finished  and  complete.     "  Nothing,  either  great 

or  small,  remains  for  you  to   do."     Therefore  you  may 

.  live  for  yourself  and  gratify  yourself.     A  most   glorious 

truth,  linked  with  a  most  fatal  delusion  ! 

The  divine  side  of  our  religion  is  a  fact ;  the  human 
side  must  also  be  a  fact.  It  is  a  fact  that  Christ  has 
come,  and  suffered,  and  died.  But  to  make  His  work 
effective  in  us,  there  must  be  a  personal  coming  to  Him, 
union  with  Him,  and  a  life  of  new  obedience. 

To  trust  His  work — while  rejecting  Him  — is  moral  and 
spiritual  suicide.  He  who  thus  casts  himself  down  will 
find  no  angels  ready  to  bear  him  up  in  their  hands. 

Then  "let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed 
lest  he  fall." 

A  clergyman,  in  speaking  of  a  brother  who  had  fallen 
into  sin,  used  words  of  severest  censure,  declaring  that 
he  himself  could  never  be  overcome  in  that  way.  In  less 
than  a  year  he  fell,  and  was  deposed  from  the  ministry 
for  the  same  offense.  The  prodigal's  eldest  brother 
seems  to  have  passed  for  a  true  and  faithful  child  until 
the  younger  brother  returned,  and  then  the  latent  pas- 
sions began  to  rage  and  foam  as  if  the  very  spirit  of  the 
evil  one  possessed  him.  Anger,  malice,  envy,  jealousy, 
and  every  evil  passion  imaginable,  came  to  the  surface 
and  seemed  to  get  control  of  his  better  nature. 

A  stream  of  water  may  now  on  very  quietly  for  many 


FATHER'S  GUIDANCE."  135 

miles,  and  its  smooth  and  glassy  surface  may  seem  a 
perfect  picture  of  peace,  but  let  it  meet  with  obstructions, 
or  let  its  waters  be  compressed  into  a  narrow  channel, 
and  it  begins  to  rage  and  foam  in  madness,  rumbling, 
muttering,  roaring,  dashing,  and  threatening  the  de- 
struction of  everything  within  its  reach. 

Hazael,  horrified  at  the  thought  of  shedding  innocent 
blood,  yet  going  straight  forward  to  fulfill  the  awful 
prophecy  of  Elisha  ;  the  beastly  Nero  ;  the  bloody  Mary, 
and  the  murderous  Robespierre — all  amiable  and  lovely 
in  their  youth,  yet  at  length  astonishing  the  world  with 
their  heaven-daring  iniquity— give  most  striking  illus- 
trations of  the  strange  developments  of  character  which 
come  through  the  tempting  power  of  a  change  of  place 
or  position. 

All  God's  people  must  be  tried.  Show  me  a  man  who 
has  never  been  tried,  and  I  will  show  you  a  weakling. 
Show  me  one  who  has  been  battered  and  bruised, 
marked  and  scarred,  enduring  all  in  a  spirit  of  meek- 
ness, and  I  will  show  you  a  hero— one  who  will  stand 
in  the  day  to  which  all  eyes  are  looking,  when  the  mask 
of  the  hypocrite  is  torn  from  the  faces  of  his  foes. 

Through  great  tribulation  the  redeemed  must  enter 
the  Kingdom,  and  our  Master  has  taught  us  that  days 
of  trial  and  calamity  are  coming  such  as  this  world  has 
never  known.  "  Watch  ye,  therefore,  and  pray  always 


136  "  OUR  FATHER'S  GUIDANCE." 

that  ye  may  be  counted  worthy  to  escape  these    things, 
and  to  stand  before  the  Son  of  Man." 

1  'Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery 
trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  things 
happened  unto  you,  but  rejoice  inasmuch  as  ye  are  par- 
takers of  Christ's  sufferings." 


VIII. 


OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE. 


"Deliver  us  from  evil." — MATT,  vi:  13. 


OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 


"Our  Father,  deliver  Thy  children  from  sin, 
From  evil  without,  and  from  evil  within, 
From  this  world,  with  its  manifold  evil  and  wrong, 
From  the  wiles  o'f  the  evil  one,  subtle  and  strong  ; 
Till,  as  Christ  overcame,  we,  too,  conquer  and  sing, 
All  glory  to  Tbee  our  victorious  King." 

Miss  Havergaf. 


There  is  no  need  of  a  special  revelation  to  teach  men 
the  great  fact  of  the  existence  of  evil. 

God  alone  can  understand  and  reveal  its  nature,  its 
extent,  the  means  by  which  it  may  be  removed,  and  its 
victims  delivered,  but  the  existence  of  it  is  one  of  the 
facts  of  our  experience,  which  no  sane  man  can  deny, 
and  which  no  argument  can  gainsay  or  resist. 

Sin  and  misery  abound.  The  deadly  night-shade 
grows  luxuriantly,  and  the  air  is  full  of  its  pestilential 
odors.  It  is  not  a  rare  exotic  which  cannot  be  produced 
except  at  certain  times,  in  certain  places,  and  under 
certain  favorable  conditions  of  soil,  climate  and  culture. 
It  is  indigenous.  It  springs  up  naturally,  and  grows 
spontaneously,  without  regard  to  time,  place  or  circuin- 


140  "  OUK  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 

stances.     It  flourishes  in  every  land,  on  every  shore,  and 
at  all  elevations  and  lines  of  latitude. 

It  multiplies  fast.  It  increases  wondrously .  It  spreads 
from  field  to  field,  from  land  to  land,  and  from  continent 
to  continent  ;  and  there  is  no  blest  spot  where  terrified 
man  may  flee  to  escape  its  power,  or  rid  himself  from  its 
pollution. 

In  prison  and  palace,  in  camps  and  courts,  in  church 
and  state,  in  the  salons  of  the  rich,  and  in  the  abodes  of 
poverty,  evils  of  all  kinds  abound  and  flourish.  A  little 
thing  at  first,  and  seemingly  insignificant,  when  once 
planted  and  firmly  rooted,  it  grows  and  spreads  with 
such  amazing  ease  and  vigor  that  no  power  on  earth  can 
remove  it  or  arrest  its  progress. 

A  drop  of  pure  water  in  a  gallon  which  is  foul,  makes 
no  perceptible  change,  but  put  a  drop  of  foul  water  in 
a  gallon  which  is  pure,  and  it  pollutes  the  whole.  So 
he  who  attempts  to  purify  his  heart  and  rise  toward  God, 
must  go  step  by  step  through  toil  and  trial,  and  constant 
opposition,  while  they  who  take  the  opposite  course 
descend  with  ease,  and  with  ever  increasing  velocity. 
This  wondrous  growth,  and  propagating  power  of  evil, 
is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  this  world.  How  this  mystery 
of  iniquity  came,  and  why  it  is  permitted  to  remain  and 
continue  its  work  of  desolation  and  destruction,  are 
questions  which  we  cannot  solve.  It  is  enough  for  us  to 


ff  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  141 

know  the  fact  that  evil  exists.     How  shall  we  escape  ?: — 
this  is  the  most  important  question. 

When  a  roan  is  lying  upon  the  battle-field,  wounded, 
bleeding,  dying,  he  has  no  time  to  philosophize  and 
theorize  in  regard  to  the  nature  of  his  wound,  or  the 
instrument  which  produced  it.  What  he  wants  is  the 
remedy.  When  the  battle  is  over,  and  his  wounds  are 
healed,  and  he  returns  to  his  home  and  friends,  he  will 
have  plenty  of  time  to  discuss  these  curious  questions. 
So,  when  we  enter  Heaven,  when  the  great  conflicts  of 
life  are  over,  and  all  the  wounds  which  sin  has  made  are 
healed;  when  we  have  passed  the  pearly  gates,  and  the 
clouds  are  cleared  away  forever;  when  we  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  or  talk  with  them  and  all  the 
redeemed  who  gather  there,  of  "  dangers  past,  and  won- 
ders still  to  come,"  we  shall  have  time  enough  to  discuss 
these  deep,  dark,  metaphysical  problems. 

What  we  want  now  is  deliverance.  Deliver  us!  Who 
shall  deliver  us? — this  is  the  sad  cry,  the  earnest  cry,  the 
universal  cry  of  burdened  souls.  Who  can  quench  the 
heart's  deep,  burning  thirst?  Who  can  reduce  this  wild 
anarchy  to  heavenly  order?  Who  can  turn  aside  these 
desolating  fires  and  fioods? 

"  Where  sin's  red  dragons  lie  in  caverns  deep, 
And  glare  with  stony  eyes  that  cannot  sleep, 
And  o'er  the  heavenly  fruit  strict  watch  do  keep, 
There  our  poor  souls  Ion:;  struggling  to  get  free, 
Torn  by  the  strife  in  painful  agony, 
Cry  out,  O  God,  ray  God,  deliver  me.S) 


142  "  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 

Let  us  notice, 
I.     The  evil ; 
II.     The  deliverance. 

I. 

The  primal  cause  of  all  the  evil  of  this  world  is  sin, 
and  ihe  consciousness  of  sin  has  caused  more  deep  and 
lasting  trouble,  than  any  and  all  other  woes  combined. 
No  man,  then,  can  use  this  prayer  aright,  without  asking 
for  deliverance  from  sin. 

Modern  reformers  tell  us  that  sin  is  not  in  itself  an 
evil,  but  a  good  thing  in  disguise,  a  new  force,  or  influ- 
ence let  in  upon  us,  designed  to  stimulate  to  action, 
excite  inquiry,  and  arouse  our  dormant  faculties,  by  the 
conflict  which  it  brings.  Prof.  Tyndall,  in  the  name  of 
modern  science,  tells  us  that  men  are  not  free,  and  hence 
ure  not  responsible  for  their  actions.  He  says,  "the 
robber,  the  ravisher,  and  the  murderer,  offend  because 
they  cannot  help  offending."  Hear  what  the  great  de- 
lineator of  human  character  says  upon  this  subject. 
"  This  is  the  excellent  foppery  of  the  world!  that,  when 
we  are  sick  in  fortune  (often  the  surfeit  of  our  behavior,) 
we  make  guilty  of  our  disasters,  the  sun,  the  moon,  and 
the  stars  ;  as  if  we  were  villains,  by  necessity  ;  fools,  by 
heavenly  compulsion ;  knaves,  thieves,  and  traitors,  by 
spherical  predominance ;  drunkards,  liars,  and  adul- 
terers, by  an  enforced  obedience  of  planetary  influence ; 


"  Oui;  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  143 

and  all  that  we  are  evil  in,  by  a  divine  thrusting  on.  An 
admirable  evasion  of  an  abominable  man,  to  lay  his  goat- 
ish disposition  to  the  charge  of  a  star!" 

Even  men  who  have  called  themselves  Doctors  of 
Divinity,  have  taught  the  absurd  theory  that  men  are 
condemned  and  sent  to  hell,  not  because  their  hearts 
are  evil,  but  simply  for  the  purpose  of  showing  forth 
the  power  of  God,  and  the  authority  of  His  law.  The 
penalty  of  law,  according  to  this  theory,  is  a  govern- 
mental regulation,  and  punishment  is  inflicted,  not 
because  of  the  intrinsic  evil  of  sin,  but  to  support  the 
dignity  and  authority  of  the  divine  government. 

Against  such  arbitrary  arrangements  and  inflictions  of 
penalty,  we  naturally  rebel.  The  finest  fee1  ings  of  our 
nature  are  outraged  by  the  very  thought  of  such  a  divine 
arrangement.  If  I  am  to  be  punished  here  and  hereafter 
to  support  a  law,  or  a  theory  of  government,  without 
regard  to  character,  I  demur.  But,  if  I  suffer  here  and 
in  eternity  the  just  desert  and  penalty  of  my  sin  and 
rebellion,  then  I  h#ve  nothing  to  say  :  my  mouth  is 
stopped.  It  is  not  the  arbitrary  infliction  of  penalty^ 
which  men  should  fear,  but  the  deadening,  damning 
power  of  sin. 

Our  own  experience  teaches  us  that  sin  is,  in  itself,  an 
evil  and  a  bitter  thing.  It  is  a  positive  hindrance  to 
our  real  growth.  Instead  of  stimulating  men  to  action, 
it  makes  men  lazy.  Instead  of  arousing  our  faculties 


144  t£Ouit  FATHEB*S  DELIVEKANCE." 

and  exciting  inquiry,  it  stupefies  an  1  \  enders  us  insensible 

both  to  our  own  condition,  and  to  the  highest,  holiest, 

and  heavenliest  of  motives. 

It  is  from  beneath  and  Lot  from  above,  a  perversion  of 

all  that  is  true,  and  beautiful,  and  good,  a  violation  of 
law,  a  derangement  of  our  nature,  a  mischief  -and  a 
curse. 

Men  sin,  not  because  of  any  eternal  decree,  but  because 
they  love  sin  and  delight  in  iniquity.  They  are  deceived 
because  they  love  deception.  They  wander  in  darkness, 
because  they  love  the  darkness,  and  if  they  go  down  to 
hell,  it  is  because  they  choose  to  go  there. 

Created  for  the  highest  and  holiest  enjoyments,  men 
choose  the  lowest,  fighting  their  way  down  to  ruin  in 
open,  determined,  and  constant  resistance  to  all  the 
checks,  rebukes,  warnings  and  entreat  es  which  a  loving 
Father,  and  an  inviting  Heaven  can  bring  to  bear  upon 
them. 

"  O!  it  is  monstrous,  monstrous  ! 
Methought  the  billows  spoke  and  told  me  of  it. 
The  winds  did  sing  it  to  me  ;  and  the  thunder, 
That  great    and    dreadful  organ-pipe    pronounced"  the   awful 
nature  and  the  guilt  of  sin- 

Well  then  may  we  cry  as  we  think  of  sin's  ravages, 
deliver  us  from  this  evil — save  us  from  this  monster  !  If 
there  IB  a  way  by  which  our  souls  may  be  made  holy,  a 
power  by  which  scarlet  and  crimson  stains  may  be 
removed,  and  our  hearts  restored  to  purity  and  innocence, 


c<  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  145 

let  us  know  that  way  !     No  earthly  power  can  save  us, 
for  all  earthly  means  have  been  tried  in  vain. 

"Deep  arc  the  wounds  that  sin  has  made  ; 

Where  can  the  sinner  find  a  cure  ? 
In  vain,  alas  !  is  nature's  aid, 

The  work  exceeds  all  nature's  power." 

Like  the  bitten  Iraelites,  we  are  dying — what  we  want 
is  life,  health  and  healing.  We  cry  unto  the  Lord; 
deliver  us,  O  Lord,  for  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the 
power,  and  the  glory  !  Thine  the  outward  kingdom, 
and  Thine  the  inward  cleansing,  healing,  and  restoring 
power,  and  Thine  forever  from  first  to  last,  shall  be  the 
glory  of  the  work 

Notice  now  the  extent  and  comprehensiveness  of  this 
petition.  It  reaches  far  beyond  the  sin  itself,  and  cries 
for  deliverance  from  all  the  effects  of  sin.  It  means 
deliver  us  not  only  from  the  transgression  of  the  law,  but 
also  from  the  penalty  of  the  law,  from  wickedness  and 
wretchedness,  from  the  power  of  sin,  the  guilt  of  sin,  and 
the  misery  of  sin.  Like  the  word  '•  temptation''  this 
word  "  evil"  embraces  all  the  varied  forms  of  trouble 
through  which  we  may  be  called  to  pass.  It  means 
deliver  us  from  poverty,  slander,  disease,  intemperance, 
desertion,  insanity,  all  open  solicitations  to  sin,  and  all 
invisible  snares. 

Consciously  or  unconsciously,  voluntarily  or  involun- 
tarily, this  cry  for  deliverance  is  ascending  from  men  who 


140  "  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE.'' 

are  suffering  from  storms,  fires  and  earthquakes,  from 
men  who  are  laid  on  beds  of  sickness,  from  the  millions 
who  are  oppressed  and  borne  down  by  the  iron  heel  of 
despotism,  enslaved  by  false  customs  and  false  systems, 
conscious  of  their  thraldom,  and  longing  for  the  day  of 
light,  enlargement,  and  liberty. 

"The  whole  creation  groaneth  in  pain  together."  The 
very  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  air,  yea,  even 
the  very  stones  cry  out  to  God  for  the  promised  deliver- 
ance. All  objects,  animate  and  inanimate,  and  all 
creatures,  rational  and  irrational,  feel  the  curse  and  groan 
beneath  it.  Every  blessing  Heaven  vouchsafes  us  has 
been  poisoned,  and  if  we  could  sec  the  danger  we  are  in 
from  invisible  foes,  the  effect  would  be  most  startling. 

If  God  should  give  us  telescopic  and  microscopic 
vision,  we  should  be  so  filled  with  fear  and  terror  at  sight 
of  the  wonders  and  dangers  within  us  and  around,  that 
life  woir.d  become  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing. 

II. 

From  all  these  evils  there  is  a  way  of  deliverance. 

After  a  night  of  sleepless  anxiety,  the  King  of  Babylon 
once  gave  utterance  to  a  question  which  is  to-day  the 
great  question  of  the  world. 

Coming  in  haste  very  early  im  the  morning,  and  look- 
ing down  into  the  den  of  lions,  into  which  the  envy  of 
jealous  men  had  cast  the  purest  man  in  the  kingdom,  he 


"OuR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE/'  147 

cried  with  a  loud  and  lamentable  cry — "O,  Daniel,  ser- 
vant of  the  living  God,  is  thy  God  whom  thou  servest 
continually  able  to  deliver  thee  ?" 

The  thronging  millions  of  heathen  lands,  groaning 
beneath  their  burdens,  look  to  us  and  ask  the  question 
with  intense  anxiety:  "Is  thy  God  able  to  deliver  thee?" 
Skeptical  men,  who  have  tried  again  and  again  the 
remedies  of  their  own  invention,  and  found  them  un- 
availing, look  to  the  Church  of  Christ  and  cry  in  agony : 
"  Is  thy  God  able  to  deliver  thee  ?" 

Parents  and  children  ;  the  aged  and  the  young  ;  the 
poor,  oppressed  with  their  poverty ;  the  rich,  distracted 
with  care  ;  the  tempted,  the  discouraged,  the  weary  and 
the  heavy-laden,  look  to  the  church  or  the  individual 
Christian  and  ask  in  breathless  suspense  the  all  import- 
ant question — "Is  thy  God  able  to  deliver  thee?" 

Thank  God  we  are  able  to  answer  these  questions  in 
the  affirmative ! 

Our  God  is  a  God  who  hears,  and  helps,  and  delivers 
His  people.  He  is  able  to  hear ;  He  is  willing  to  hear  ; 
He  has  promised  to  hear,  and  He  has  never  yet  failed  to 
fulfill  all  He  has  promised. 

The  skeptic  says — "Prayer  is  a  harmless  delusion. 
God  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  It  is  the  man  himself 
fixing  his  mind  and  heart  upon  some  desired  object, 
wishing,  watching  and  making  everything  subservient 


148  t(  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE. " 

to  the  accomplishment  of  that  object,  until   the  desire  is 
realized  by  his  own  exertions." 

The  believer  says — "My  God  will  hear  me."  Gods  of 
wood  and  stone  cannot  hear.  Those  who  trust  in  false 
gods  are  deceived  and  deluded,  and  false  <rods  are  just 
as  numerous  in  Christian  as  in  heathen  lands.  There  are 
gods  many,  and  lords  many,  bat  there  is  just  one  living 
God,  just  one  God  who  hoars  and  answers  prayer,  and 
this  God  is  our  God,  our  choice,  our  delight,  our  loving 
Heavenly  Father.  He  is  not  a  prisoner  who  cannot,  or 
a  despot  who  will  not,  hear  us.  All  means,  agencies 
and  causes  in  the  universe  are  under  his  control,  and  all 
are  made  subservient  to  the  deliverance  of  His  people. 
Our  Father  uses  aU  fhe  force*  of  nature  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  his  people.  Read  the  story  of  the  Waldenses 
hemmed  in  by  the  French  and  Sardinian  army,  their 
crops  ungathered,  their  supplies  cut  off,  driven  almost 
to  madness  by  the  gnawings  of  hunger,  and  see  how 
God  delivered  them  !  See  how  he  kept  their  grain  un- 
hurt beneath  the  deep  snow,  and  then  when  their  breast- 
works were  broken  down,  and  deliverance  seemed 
utterly  impossible,  see  how  he  raised  over  them  a  fog  so 
dense  that  they  escaped  unseen,  though  surrounded  by 
their  foes.  Read  the  story  of  the  Covenanters — "Let 
us  pray  here,"  said  the  leader  of  a  band  of  these  poor, 
persecuted  people.  "Let  us  pray  here,  for  if  the  Lord 
hear  not  our  prayer  and  save  us,  we  are  all  dead  men." 


<{  OUK  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  149 

Their  strength"  was  exhausted,  and  their  enemies  in 
sight,  as  the  old  man  prayed — "Twine  about  the  hill,  O 
Lord,  and  cast  the  lap  of  thy  cloak  over  puir  old  Saun- 
ders  and  these  puir  things."  Even  while  he  was  speak- 
ing the  answer  came.  The  hill  where  they  knelt  in 
prayer  was  enveloped  in  a  mist,  and  their  enemies  pass- 
ing by  went  on  their  way  wearying  themselves  in  a  vain 
and  fruitless  search. 

The  destruction  of  the  invincible  armada  and  the 
French  fleet  under  Duke  d'Auville,  are  examples  of  the 
way  in  which  God  uses  the  winds  and  the  waves  for  the 
deliverance  of  His  people.  If  the  wind  had  blown  one 
way,  the  Spanish  Inquisition  would  have  been  established 
in  England.  But  he  who  holds  the  winds  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand,  so  ordered  and  controlled  the  elements  on 
that  day,  that  England  was  saved  from  the  accursed 
institution,  and  seventy -five  thousand  tons  of  shipping- 
were  sunk  in  the  depths  of  the  sja. 

A  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed  in  Min- 
nesota a  few  years  since  for  deliverance  from  the  grass- 
hopper scourge.  The  next  year,  although  the  grass- 
hoppers appeared  again,  a  parasite  attached  itself  to 
them  which  prevented  them  doing  damage  and  laying 
eggs,  and  so  the  scourge  was  stayed  and  the  threatened 
famine  averted.  Was  that  a  mere  coincidence,  or  did 
the  God  who  sent  the  ravens  to  feed  Elijah  and  the  great 
sea-monster  to  deliver  Jonah,  make  use  of  that  little 


150  tc  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 

parasite  to  answer  the  prayers  of  His  people  in  distress  V 

Our  Father  answers  this  prayer  for  deliverance  by  the 
preparation*  and  inter  positions  of  His  Providence.' 

God  has  a  plan,  and  all  the  events  of  life,  however 
confused  or  irregular  they  may  appear,  are  but  the  filling- 
out  of  this  plan.  Science  tells  us  that  every  atom  of 
the  universe  is  under  the  control  of  law.  God's  word 
goes  farther,  and  tells  us  that  back  of  all  law  is  a  mind 
and  a  heart. 

Stand  by  the  Falls  of  Niagara.  Look  upon  that  vast 
deluge  of  water,  foaming,  hissing,  whirling,  now  dash- 
ing in  spray,  now  rising  in  foam,  and  now  lifted  up  in 
mists  which  reflect  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  !  How  law- 
less, confused  and  chaotic  !  Yet  every  atom  of  that  dis- 
hevelled mass  of  water  is  held  in  the  hand  of  God,  and 
by  that  hand  it  is  controlled  and  directed. 

Wherever  there  is  space  there  is  God,  and  wherever 
God  is,  He  is  active,  guiding  and  controlling  all  things. 
How  delightful  the  assurance  that  all  beings,  agencies 
and  causes  in  the  universe  are  under  the  control  of  one 
who  loves  us  with  an  everlasting  love. 

Are  you  in  harmony  with  God  ?  Then  all  things 
which  can  in  any  way  affect  your  real  happiness,  present 
or  prospective,  temporal  or  eternal,  are  on  your  side  and 
co-operating  in  your  favor.  Seed  time  and  harvest,  sum- 
mer and  winter,  day  and  night,  and  all  the  silent, 
mighty  forces  of  the  universe  are  working  for  you. 


t(OuR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  15J. 

Flowers  are  blooming  for  you,  the  corn  and  the  grains 
are  ripening  for  you.  All  the  trees  of  the  field  and  the 
cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  are  living,  and  growing,  and 
spending  their  strength  to  support  and  bless  you.  Clouds 
are  carrying  water  for  you  ;  stars  are  shining  for  you  ; 
sun  a»d  moon  send  forth  their  light  and  heat  to  cheer 
and  comfort  you.  Angels  of  light  are  your  ministering 
spirits,  and  all  the  innumerable  influences  and  agencies 
under  the  control  of  your  Infinite  Father  are  working 
on  your  heart  to  sanctify  and  save  ;  preparing  you  for 
glory,  honor,  immortality  and  eternal  life. 

Take  down  your  harps  then  from  the  willows  !  Sing 
unto  the  Lord-  a  new  song  !  Your  Father,  Saviour, 
Brother,  is  on  the  throne,  and  no  mountains  of  law  or 
gulfs  of  mystery  can  separate  Him  from  you  ! 

The  following  facts  from  Dr.  S.  H.  Willey's  "Thirty 
Years  in  California/'  show  how  God,  by  seemingly 
unimportant  events,  can  answer  the  prayers  of  His  people 
and  change  the  whole  destiny  of  states  and  nations  : 
Before  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  the  few 
adventurers  who  had  gathered  here  were  mostly  in  favor 
of  the  British  protectorate.  When  the  war  with  Mexico 
began,  American  and  British  fleets  started  at  the  same 
time  for  San  Francisco.  Just  "one  week  before  the 
British  fleet  arrived,  Commodore  Sloat  hoisted  the  stars 
afad  stripes.  In  the  same  montli,  July,  1846,  three  hun- 
dred Mormons  sailed  from  New  York  for  San  Francisco, 


152  "  Ouii  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 

while  Brigham  Young,  with  fifteen  thousand  Mormons, 
was  advancing  overland,  hoping  to  settle  on  this  coast. 
Finding  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  over  the  harbor, 
the  Mormon  colonists  who  came  by  sea  sent  word  to 
Brigham  Young,  and  California  was  saved  from  the 
blighting  curse  of  Mormonism. 

Again,  on  the  same  day  on  which  the  treaty  was  signed 
by  which  Mexico  ceded  California  to  the  United  States, 
gold  was  found.  Had  gold  been  discovered  one  day 
earlier,  that  document  would  never  have  been  signed. 

See  how  in  answer  to  prayer  both  Europe  and  America 
were  delivered  from  the  infidelity  of  Hume,  Gibbon, 
Voltaire  and  others.  The  great  foundation  truths  of  the 
Christian  religion  seemed  hopelessly  buried  beneath  a 
superincumbent  mass  of  worldliness  and  error.  Chris- 
tianity was  stigmatized  as  priestcraft,  miracles  were  de- 
nounced as  frauds  and  impositions.  Bishops  led  the 
way  in  worldliness  until- the  King  was  obliged  to  inter 
fere  and  put  a  stop  to  their  excesses.  Blackstone  says 
there  was  not  enough  Christianity  in  the  sermons  of  the 
clergymen  of  London  to  determine  whether  the  preachers 
were  disciples  of  Confucius,  Mahomet,  or  Christ. 

"Then  began  men  to  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
All  over  the  land  devout  souls  gathered  together  in  pray- 
ing circles.  In  England,  Scotland,  Wales  and  Ireland, 
and  throughout  New  England  and  the  Middle  States, 
men  and  women  were  wrestling  day  and  night  in  prayer, 


"  OUR  F-YIHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  153 

and  in  answer  to  these  prayers  the  great  evangelistic 
movements  under  Whitfield,  the  Wesleys,  and  Jonathan 
Edwards,  were  ushered  in. 

The  great  missionary  movements  of  the  age  have  come 
in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  God's  people.  There  are 
wonders  here  in  the  transformation  of  individuals  and 
nations  which  no  man  can  understand  who  shuts  out 
God  from  human  history. 

The  heathen  Gourgis  went  into  a  meeting  with  a  dag- 
ger and  gun  to  make  disturbance,  but  in  answer  to 
prayer  was  so  transformed  that  he  was  found  the  next 
day  crying — "O  my  great  sins!  O  my  great  Saviour." 
For  eleven  years  he  preached  the  gospel  with  great  suc- 
cess among  his  fellow  mountaineers,  dying  at  last  with 
these  words  upon  his  lip.s  :  "Free  grace  ;  O,  it  was  free 
grace  !" 

San  Quala,  one  of  the  first  converts  among  the  de- 
graded Karens,  was  raised  by  prayer  from  the  lowest 
state  of  degradation.  For  fifteen  years  he  guided  the 
missionaries  through  the  jungles.  Then,  beginning  to 
preach,  he  established  in  one  year  nine  churches,  with 
741  converts,  and  in  less  than  three  years  thirty  churches, 
with  2,000  converts.  Offered  a  lucrative  position  by  the 
British  government,  he  declined  it,  choosing  rather  to 
suffer  with  Christ  for  the  blessed  privilege  of  preaching 
the  gospel. 

All  the  wonders  wrought  in  foreign  lands,    in   the 


154  "  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE." 

Hawaiian  Islands,  in  India,  China,  Japan,  and  the  Dark 
Continent,  have  had  their  birth  in  prayer. 

In  India  during  the  years  1878-9,  there  was  the  great- 
est turning  to  God  that  has  ever  been  known  since  the 
Pentecost.  Sixty  thousand  people  in  Southern  India  pass- 
ing over  from  idolatry  to  Christianity  within  the  space 
of  twelve  months.  Wonders  similar  to  this  are  reported 
from  other  mission  fields,  wonders  which  confound  the 
skeptics  and  give  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  supernat- 
ural power — the  mighty  power  of  God's  spirit  working 
in  the  hearts  of  Go'd's  people  in  answer  to  prayer. 

Is  there  no  God  in  all  this  ?  Can  the  skeptic  account 
for  these  things  on  any  theory  of  rationalism  ?  Are  they 
not  special  interpositions  of  Heaven  in  fulfillment  of  our 
Father's  promise  of  deliverance  ? 

Our  Father  makes  use  of  angelic  agency  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  His  people.  When  Elisha's  servant  was  terrified 
at  sight  of  the  great  host  which  compassed  the  city,  the 
Lord  opened  the  eyes  of  the  young  man,  in  answer  to 
the  prophet's  prayer,  and  he  saw,  "and  behold  the 
mountain  was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire."  And' 
if  God  should  open  our  eyes,  we  might  see  in  our  own 
life  history  deliverances  as  wonderful  as  any  recorded 
in  the  Bible. 

Angels  have  been  employed  in  bearing  messages  to 
God's  people.  David  says,  "He  shall  give  his  angels 
charge  concerning  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways." 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  155 

"  They  shall  bear  thee  up  in  their  hands,  lest  thou  dash 
thy  foot  against  a  stone."  Again,  he  says,  "The  angel 
of  the  Lord  encampeth  rouni  about  them  that  fear  Him, 
and  delivereth  them." 

The  history  of  the  church  is  filled  with  signs  and 
wonders,  and  marvellous  deliverances,  wrought  by  an- 
gelic agency.  An  angel  came  for  the  deliverance  of 
Isaac,  just  as  the  knife  was  lifted  for  the  fatal  stroke. 
Two  angels  came  to  deliver  Lot  from  the  destruction  of 
Sodom.  Angels  were  sent  to  protect  Jacob  from  the 
violence  of  his  brother.  They  delivered  Hagar  and  her 
child  from  a  terrible  death  in  the  wilderness .  Hezekiah 
prayed,  and  God  sent  an  angel  to  destroy  the  hosts  of 
the  Assyrians.  Daniel  prayed,  and  God  sent  an  angel 
to  deliver  him  from  the  lions,  and  Peter  and  his  friends 
were  praying  when  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came,  and  a 
light  shined  in  the  prison,  and  Peter  was  delivered. 

Our  Lord  said  that  legions  of  angels  were  ready  to 
come  at  His  call,  and  all  through  His  life  these  shining 
hosts  were  coming  and  going,  according  to  His  word. 
When  He  left  this  world  He  was  accompanied  by  angels, 
and  when  he  returns,  He  will  come  "  in  His  glory,  and 
all  the  holy  angels  with  Him." 

The  same  angelic  aid  which  Jesus  had,  is  in  the  reach 
of  His  disciples.  The  angels  of  God  are  our  companions, 
silent,  invisible,  yet  real  companions  and  helpers.  Be- 
ware of  the  sin  of  Saul,  for  which  God  slew  him. 


15(>  "  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIYERANCE." 

Beware  of  "seducing  spirits  and  doctrines  of  devils,"  but 
remember  that  all  good  angels  are  for  us,  and  that  those 
that  are  for  us  are  more  than  those  who  are  against  us. 
Our  Father  answers 'this  prayer  and  sends  deliverance 
through  the  person  of  His  Son. 

"God,  who  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners, 
spake  in  times  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets, 
hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son."  ' '  If 
the  word  spoken  by  angels  was  steadfast,"  how  much 
more  weighty  and  authoritative  is  the  word  which  comes 
to  us  through  the  incarnation,  life,  death,  resurrection 
and  ascension  of  the  Son  of  God.  And  He  is  .coming 
again.  The  day  of  victory  and  deliverance  is  drawing 
nigh.  The  time  is  coming  when  all  that  is  dark  now 
upon  this  earth  will  be  as  clear  as  the  golden  light  of 
day.  God  has  promised  to  give  His  Son  the  heathen 
for  His  inheritance. 

However  fierce  and  long  continued  the  struggle,  the 
church  is  sure  of  ultimate  victory.  Great  changes  will 
yet  take  place.  The  very  earth  on  which  we  tread,  which 
has  been,  and  still  is,  the  battle-field  of  the  universe,  is 
yet  to  become  the  happy  home  of  the  redeemed  and 
holy.  When  it  came  forth  from  the  hand  of  God,  it 
was  as  beautiful  and  perfect  as  He  could  make  it. 

The  coming  of  Christ  will  restore  this  beauty,  and  the 
present  dispensation  will  end  with  the  "new  heaven,  and 
new  earth"  promised  in  revelation  ;  no  more  evil, *no  more 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE/*  157 

sin,  no  more  curse  !  This  glorious  prospect  of  a  world 
redeemed,  is  held  up  to  us  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  revelation.  We  are  to  look  for  the  appearing  of  the 
Lord — wait  for  it,  love  it  and  long  for  it,  watching  con- 
tinually for  the  bright  and  morning  star. 

Satan  may  heat  his  furnace  seven  times  hotter  than  it 
is  wont  to  be  heated,  but  "He  that  shall  come,  will 
come  and  will  not  tarry,"  and  when  He  comes,  He  will 
make  short  work  of  the  destruction  of  His  foes.  Then 
shall  we  understand  the  meaning  of  this  prayer,  "De- 
liver us  from  evil." 

See  the  vast  ocean  of  human  life,  roaring  and  surging, 
tossed  to  and  fro  by  the  wild  tumult  of  its  conflicting 
elements  !  See  men  in  every  department  of  business, 
labor,  art,  or  science,  striving  in  a  thousand  ways  of  their 
own  invention  to  cast  out  the  evil  spirit  which  is  foam- 
ing, and  raging,  and  gnashing  its  teeth  in  madness  ! 
Out  of  all  this  seething  mass  of  corruption  and  darkness, 
our  Lord  will  yet  deliver  His  people. 

Our  weakness  is  our  strength;  our  days  of  sorrow  but 
the  prelude  to  our  everlasting  day  of  rest  and  blessed- 
ness. We  cannot  deliver  ourselves;  no  earthly  power 
can  deliver  us,  but  "the  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver 
the  godly  out  of  temptation." 

When  a  Roman  general  had  performed  great  feats  of 
valor,  and  the  Senate  had  decreed  him  a  triumph,  every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  the  realm  looked  forward  to 


158  "  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE/* 

the  appointed  time  with  joy,  eager  to  join  in  the  great 
procession,  and  spread  abroad  the  honor  of  their 
chieftain.  The  gates  of  the  city  were  thrown  wide  open, 
the  houses  decorated,  and  the  people  climbed  to  the 
roofs,  or  stood  in  crowds  along  the  streets.  At  length 
the  victorious  legions  began  to  pour  along  the  streets, 
with  banners  streaming,  and  trumpets  sounding.  First 
came  the  Senate  an'i  magistrates :  then  the  musicians 
and  the  spoils  :  and  when  half  the  army  had  defiled, 
your  eye  might  rest  on  one  who  was  the  center  of  attrac- 
tion, riding  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  milk-white  steeds,  on 
his  head  a  wreath  of  laurel,  in  his  hand  a  sceptre,  and  in 
the  other  a  branch  of  laurel.  Chained  to  his  car  were  the 
kings  and  mighty  men  whom  he  had  conquered,  and  in 
the  rear  the  army. 

Such  a  scene  as  this  was  before  the  mind  of  the  apostle 
when  he  wrote  the  words— ' 'Looking  for  the  blessed 
hope  and  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ;"  andsuch  will  be  the  final  triumph 
of  our  King. 

Are  you  pardoned  and  accepted  in  the  Beloved?  Then 
pray  for  complete  deliverance  from  sin.  The  prayer  is 
not  deliver  us  in  evil,  but  deliver  us  from  evil.  "From 
all  evil  and  mischief;  from  sin ;  from  the  craft  and 
assaults  of  the  devil,  Good  Lord  deliver  us.  From  light- 
ning and  tempest ;  from  plague,  pestilence  and  famine  ; 
from  battle. and  murder,  and  from  sudden  death,  Good 


"  OUR  FATHER'S  DELIVERANCE."  159 

Lord  deliver  us."  And  last  of  all,  and  with  special  fer- 
vency, pray  "from  hardness  of  heart  and  contempt  of 
thy  word  and  commandment,  Good  Lord  deliver  us ! 
By  thine  agony  and  bloody  sweat  ;  by  thy  cross  and 
passion,  Good  Lord  deliver  us  !" 

And  if  you  are  still  in  sin  and  in  danger  of  death 
eternal,  with  the  law  of  God  above  you  and  the  abyss  of 
woe  beneath,  Satan  as  your  guide,  and  death  as  your 
attendant,  may  the  voice  of  God  arrest  you,  and  the  love 
of  Christ  constrain  you  to  bow  your  soul  at  the  footstool 
of  love  and  mercy  now,  and  by  'your  own  blessed 
experience  learn  the  power  of  prayer  to  open  the  gates  of 
Heaven  and  move  the  heart  of  God. 

And  when  the  shadows  lengthen,  and  the  day  declines, 
and  the  mists  of  evening  gather;  when  the  senses  close 
their  portals,  and  your  lips  can  no  longer  utter  the 
words  of  prayer  or  praise,  the  voices  of  angels  will  call 
you,  and  the  hands  of  angels  beckon  you,  and  your  sun 
shall  not  go  down  in  endless  darkness,  for  the  Lord 
shall  be  the  light  and  glory  of  your  habitation.  Absence 
from  Him  is  night;  His  presence  is  cloudless  and  eternal 
day. 

Learn  to  know  and  love  that  presence  here  and  now, 
and  in  the  moving  centuries  of  the  eternal  future,  you 
shall  worship  at  His  feet  and  gaze  upon  the  unveiled 
glories  of  His  person. 


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